According to sources, the government is considering increasing child benefit for households with multiple children.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to implement unprecedented measures to deal with the declining birth rate. An outline of the government's policy will be compiled by the end of the month.
The government is considering removing the income limit and extending the eligibility period for the allowance in addition to increasing child benefit for households with multiple children.
Families with children up to junior high school age can receive child benefit. The government is thinking about extending the allowance for children through high school.
Child benefit is designed to be basic financial support for the upbringing of all children who will be responsible for the next generation, according to a draft of the policy outline. The government will look at systems in other countries when reviewing the current framework, according to the document.
The proposal to eliminate the income limit for child benefit is a topic of discussion, and has been a topic of discussion. Some ministers, including Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato, have expressed caution about the move, so it is not clear whether the measure will be implemented.
The draft does not include specific details such as when the new policy will start or the amount of the increase.
The Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform is scheduled to be finalized by June, and the government intends to provide more details. For children under the junior high school, families can receive 10,000 -- 15,000 per month, as long as neither parent's income exceeds 9.6 million yen.
According to government officials, about 400 billion would be required to expand the eligibility of the program to children through the age of 18, and about 150 billion would be required to remove the income limit.