Japan Research Institute Expands 'Children's Leave' to Support Employees in the Child-Rearing Generation

Japan Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Jun Uchikawa; hereinafter referred to as "Nihon Soken") has revised its "Children's Leave" system effective April 2026, expanding support for employees in the child-rearing generation with the aim of improving employee well-being and further promoting human capital management. Based on research conducted by Nihon Soken on children's rights and parent-child relationships, the revision extends the target age to junior high school students and adds "school refusal" and "developmental support" as reasons for leave. ## Background The number of elementary and junior high school students experiencing school refusal continues to rise, reaching approximately 354,000 in FY2024, posing a serious social challenge. School refusal also impacts parents' work-life balance, with about one in six parents of children with school refusal reporting having "resigned from their jobs" (Note 2), indicating the difficulty of balancing childcare and work due to the need to support children facing school refusal. Notably, school refusal tends to surge around the time children enter junior high school, yet workplace childcare support primarily targets the period before school entry or up to around the third grade of elementary school, with limited support for junior high school students and beyond. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by Nihon Soken last year (Note 3) suggested that interactions with children aged 10 to 18 significantly influence parents' views on work and life. Recognizing that supporting children with less readily available assistance is key to enhancing the well-being of employees who are parents, Nihon Soken has revised the system as one of its measures based on its research insights, to support employees with children facing adolescent-specific challenges. ## Revisions to the System This system allows employees raising eligible children to take, separately from annual paid leave, five days per year per child, or ten days per year for children aged three and under, which can be taken in hourly increments, for stipulated reasons. To further enhance the support provided by this system, Nihon Soken has independently designed a system based on the "Child Care and Medical Leave" stipulated by the Child Care and Nursing Care Leave Act, and has made the following revisions. **Revisions:** Expanded the eligibility to junior high school students and added reasons for leave to accommodate school refusal and developmental support. - **Eligibility Range** - **Previous (Until end of March 2026):** Children being raised reach the end of March of their 6th year of elementary school. - **New System (From April 2026 onwards):** Children being raised reach the end of March of their 3rd year of **junior high school**. - **Reasons for Leave** - **Previous (Until end of March 2026):** 1. Nursing a child who is injured or ill. 2. Accompanying a child to health check-ups or vaccinations. 3. Accompanying a child during school/kindergarten closures due to natural disasters, etc. 4. Attending school/kindergarten/nursery school events such as entrance ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, PTA meetings, or class observation days. - **New System (From April 2026 onwards):** 1. Nursing due to a child's injury, illness, or **mental or physical distress**. 2. Accompanying a child to health check-ups, vaccinations, or **developmental support**. 3. Accompanying a child during school/kindergarten closures, or class closures due to natural disasters or infectious diseases. 4. Attending events or meetings related to school, kindergarten, nursery school, or **alternative schools**. 5. Consulting on childcare or completing various procedures at government offices, etc. *This system is intended for use in cases of sudden need, such as initial accompaniment, environmental adjustments, or consultations with specialized institutions for children experiencing school refusal.* ## Towards the Future This revision of the system is a concrete initiative under "Human Capital Management," which aims to maximize organizational performance by recognizing the diversity of each employee's family circumstances and ensuring psychological safety. In conjunction with the revision, Nihon Soken plans to hold in-house seminars on school refusal to prevent isolation due to lack of information or understanding from others. Moving forward, Nihon Soken will continue to consider effective ways to support employees' "worries that are easily kept within the family," such as issues related to children's school refusal and development. Furthermore, the company will strive to promote "creating a workplace that is easy to work in and rewarding for all employees, regardless of gender or life stage."