How to Apply for Licensed Daycare (Hoikuen) in Japan

What Is 認可保育園?

認可保育園 (ninkai hoikuen) means "licensed daycare." These are government-approved facilities that meet national standards for space, safety, and staff-to-child ratios. Because they receive public funding, the fees are much lower than private daycare — which makes them popular, and competitive to get into.

The other type you'll see is 認可外保育施設 (unlicensed daycare). These are privately run, easier to get into, but charge a flat rate — usually ¥40,000 to ¥80,000 a month regardless of your income. For most families, licensed daycare is the better deal financially.

Children can start from 57 days old up to age 5. That said, infant spots (especially for babies under 1) are limited and hard to get. Not all facilities take infants at all — something worth asking about when you visit.

Still deciding between daycare and kindergarten? See our Hoikuen vs. Yochien guide for a full comparison.

Who Can Apply?

To get a place at a licensed daycare, you need to show that you genuinely need childcare — in Japanese, this is called 保育の必要性 (hoiku no hitsuyousei). The idea is that neither parent is able to look after the child full-time at home.

The most common reason is that both parents work, but other situations count too:

• Working — full-time or part-time. More hours means more points in the selection process.
• Self-employed or freelance
• Actively job-hunting — though this gets you fewer points than being employed
• Pregnant or recently given birth — for example, when you need care for an older child
• Illness or disability — of a parent or guardian
• Caring for a family member — elderly parent, sick relative, etc.
• Enrolled in school or training

On a dependent visa (家族滞在)? You can still apply, but there's a catch. Dependent visa holders can only work up to 28 hours a week with supplementary activity permission (資格外活動許可). Fewer hours means a lower priority score in the selection process. All other work-authorised visas — Permanent Resident, Long-Term Resident, Engineer/Specialist, Specified Skilled Worker — have no restrictions.

Application Timeline

The most important intake is April 1 — when Japan's new school year begins and the most spots open up. If you miss the application window for April, you're either waiting for the occasional mid-year opening (limited, especially for infants) or trying again the following year.

The Point System (保育指数)

When there are more applications than spots — which happens often in cities — your local municipality uses a point-based ranking system called 保育指数 (hoiku shisuu) to decide who gets in. Both parents are scored separately and the totals are added together. The higher your combined score, the better your chances.

The scoring works in two parts:

• 基準指数 (kijun shisuu) — base points based on your employment status and working hours
• 調整指数 (chōsei shisuu) — bonus points or deductions based on your family situation

On top of the base score, adjustments can be made:

• Single-parent household: +3 to +6 pts
• Sibling already at the same facility: +1 to +3 pts
• Currently using unlicensed daycare: +1 to +3 pts
• Live-in grandparent or relative who could provide care: −2 pts

Documents You'll Need

One thing that surprises many people: you don't apply directly to the daycare. Everything goes through your local ward or city office. Here's what you'll typically need to bring:

• 入園申込書 (application form) — lists your preferred facilities in order (up to 10). You get this from the ward office.
• 就労証明書 (employment certificate) — filled out and stamped by your employer. This confirms your working hours and type of employment. It's the single most important document in the whole application.
• 住民票謄本 (jūminhyō) — your family's residence certificate. Must be issued within the past 3 months.
• マイナンバー documents — My Number for the child and both parents.
• 母子健康手帳 (boshi techou) — your child's health handbook.
• Tax documents — used to calculate your fee. Either a 課税証明書 (tax certificate) or a consent form letting the ward access your tax records directly.

All application forms are in Japanese. If reading or writing Japanese is difficult for you, go to the ward office in person — the staff can help you fill things in. Some wards in areas with many international residents offer multilingual support or interpreter services. Call ahead to check.

Costs & Free Care

Since October 2019, the Japanese government's 幼保無償化 (yoho mushōka) policy made daycare free for children aged 3 to 5. This covers both Japanese and international residents, as long as you're registered as a resident — income doesn't matter.

For children under 3, fees are calculated based on your household's resident tax (住民税). The amount varies quite a bit depending on where you live and what you earn:

If you have more than one child in daycare at the same time:

• 2nd child: 50% off
• 3rd child and beyond: free, regardless of age

Results & the Waiting List

For April enrollment, results arrive in late January or early February — usually a letter in the post, and a phone call if you got in. If you didn't get a place, you'll receive a 不承諾通知書 (fushōdaku tsūchisho) — a rejection notice. It sounds final, but it isn't. Your application automatically rolls into the next monthly review, and you stay on the waiting list.

If that happens, here's what you can do:

• Apply for second-round spots in February
• Enrol temporarily in an unlicensed facility while you wait
• In Tokyo: look into 認証保育園 (ninsho hoikuen) — a Tokyo-specific tier between licensed and unlicensed, with partial subsidy

ならし保育: The Settling-In Period

When your child starts in April, most hoikuen don't just drop them straight into a full day. Instead, there's a gradual settling-in period called ならし保育 (narashi hoiku), usually spread over one to two weeks. It typically goes like this:

For everything to have ready before that first morning — spare clothes, diapers, nap bedding, labeling, and the daily notebook — see our guide to getting ready for daycare.

• Days 1–2: 1–2 hours only
• Days 3–5: Half a day (usually no lunch or nap yet)
• Days 6–10: Building up to a full day

The exact schedule for your child will be discussed at the March orientation. Every facility does this a little differently.

📖 Japanese Vocabulary

Useful terms for the hoikuen application process.