The expansion will render all 3- to 5-year-olds eligible for assistance, regardless of their parents' income, making preschools free for an additional 2 million children. Currently, 2.5 million children in that age group attend either nursery school or kindergarten in Japan.
The Abe government has put together a 2 trillion yen package -- around $17.5 billion -- for what he calls "revolutions in productivity and human resources development," promising programs such as free university education for students in low-income households.
Nearly 1.7 trillion yen in revenue expected from a consumption tax increase in October 2019 will finance the package, with the corporate sector contributing the remaining 300 billion yen.
Japan's consumption tax rate is scheduled to rise to 10% from 8% currently. As the higher rate will apply during only part of fiscal 2019, the free preschool program will cover only 5-year-olds in that fiscal year, before expanding to 3- and 4-year-olds the following year.
High-income earners who enroll children in a private kindergarten still will pay at least part of the cost. Japan already provides free preschool for low-income parents and will maintain the current method of paying the average fee, which currently stands at 25,700 yen a month.
Care for children up to age 2 will be free for households that make less than 2.6 million yen a year and are exempt from municipal residency tax. Nearly 10 billion yen will be earmarked to fund this effort.
Police on Monday detained six South Koreans for allegedly illegally entering a Japanese diplomatic facility in South Korea and staging an anti-Tokyo demonstration there.
(Japan Today) 
Bowing and at times teary, the president of Japanese entertainment powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo Co said Monday he wants to withdraw punishment of two popular comedians over their paid appearance at a party for a group of swindlers and apologized to them for mishandling the aftermath.
(Japan Today) 
Despite a record number of women winning seats in Sunday's House of Councillors election, some female voters have cast doubt over the government's pledge to help empower women.
(Japan Today) 
One male customer at a restaurant in Tochigi Prefecture was seriously injured in a shooting early Sunday. The gunman remains at large, police said, reports NHK (July 21).
(tokyoreporter.com) 
Muneo Suzuki, a veteran politician with close ties to Russia, won a seat in Sunday’s House of Councilors election, returning to the Diet for the first time since being forced out by a conviction in 2010.
(Japan Times) 
Coca-Cola in October will take an alcoholic drink nationwide in Japan as the global soft drink giant attempts to diversify its way out of the mature and crowded soda pop market with an "alcopop" offering. (Nikkei) 
The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and International Surfing Association got a hint of what to expect when surfing makes its Olympic debut next year following a successful test at the competition's venue on Tsurigasaki Beach.
(Kyodo) 
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito won a majority of seats in the country's upper house election on Sunday, paving the way for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned consumption tax hike in October.
(Nikkei) 
Japan's ruling coalition is set to maintain control of the Upper House following Sunday's election. But it fell short of maintaining a key threshold. The coalition and lawmakers in favor of amending the Constitution will not hold a two-thirds majority of the chamber. (NHK) 
Two wheelchair-bound candidates won seats in Japan’s upper house vote on Sunday, media projections showed, a sign of changing attitudes towards disabled people in a country where they have long been encouraged to stay in the shadow. (Reuters)