Did you know that 42,000 children
in Japan were unsafe living with
their birth parents in 2026?
Abuse reports exceeded 223,691 in 2025.
Under these circumstances, there are 42,000 children nationwide every year who cannot live with their birth parents due to various situations, such as abuses, illnesses, criminal activities, economic difficulties, etc.
We are advocates for the well-being of children.
We work to prevent child abuse and protect the futures of children in need.
Through the promotion of foster care and adoption, we strive to create safe and
loving family environments for every child.
We fulfill our mission through three core activities:
Raise Awareness
We raise public awareness about foster care and child welfare across Japan, building a society where every child can grow up in a safe and loving family.
- Nationwide campaigns, including our annual Foster Parent Day (October 4), held in over 100 locations across Japan
- Public education initiatives, with more than 440,000 awareness materials distributed since 2016
- ORANGE WALK, Japan’s largest child welfare event connecting communities to prevent child abuse
Support Foster Parents
We support foster families and vulnerable parents so they are never alone.
- Online community (ONE LOVE) and peer support
- Professional consultations and expert guidance
- Educational programs and trauma-informed training
- Insurance and financial assistance for foster families
Connect Resources
We connect families with the financial, medical, and educational resources they need to thrive.
- Network coordination with professionals and local partners
- Administrative and legal guidance
- Access to subsidies and essential services for families in need
Approximately 35,400 children out of the 42,000 who are not able to live with their birth parents are living in institutions.
-
Only 26.3% are placed in foster families.
Japan has one of the lowest foster care placement rates among OECD countries, highlighting a continued shortage of foster parents.
-
Abuse reports reached 223,691 in 2025.
The number of abuse reports continues to rise, and one child dies from abuse every week.
-
One in every nine
children
live in poverty.
The poverty rate of Japanese children stands at 11.5% (2022). Furthermore, the poverty rate for single-parent households is 44.5%, which remains a significant challenge among developed nations.
Sources:
Japan Data: Children and Families Agency, Government of Japan (2024–2026); Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
International Foster Care Data: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2025); U.S. Children's Bureau (2026);
Socialstyrelsen, Sweden (2025); CoramBAAF, UK (2024).
The conditions and quality of care in each institution throughout Japan differs considerably. It is important for children to receive individual care, but the low number of staff responsible for nurturing these children prevents them from receiving the full care that they need. The involvement of employees in the residential care facilities is currently limited, which greatly affects the futures of the children.
Every facility has a large entrance, dining room, and a bathroom. However, depending on the institution, a facility varies in living arrangements, from private bedrooms to shared eight-person rooms. It is difficult for the children to consider these institutions as homes. The Japanese government recommends that the institutions change their living arrangements from the current situation of placing many children in one large room to placing them in a home-like environment where they are provided individual care. Each facility is working to improve the quality of living in order to provide what is best for the children.
Human Rights Watch (Without Dreams)
by the United Nations
Large-scale institutions like those in Japan are rarely found in other developed nations, where smaller, family-like environments are favored to provide professional care. Research shows that even if multiple adults rotate shifts to ensure continuous one-on-one attention, institutional care remains insufficient for infants to develop healthy emotional attachments.
Historically, the number of staff assigned per child in Japan has been among the lowest in developed countries, leading the government to rely heavily on institutional care. In response, the United Nations has issued recommendations to the Japanese government three times, urging immediate system corrections and improvements.
While progress has been made over the last few years, the government-funded staffing standard remains low, at a ratio of one staff member for every 1.3 infants. Due to this inadequate public standard, many facilities must fund additional staffing out of their own budgets to meet the higher ratio needed for quality care.
Both the Japan Children Support Association and the Japanese government now recognize that transitioning toward a family-based foster care system is the essential solution to addressing this insufficiency.
The most terrible poverty is loneliness,
and the feeling of being unloved.
– Mother Teresa
I am sure many of you are surprised by the reality of these current circumstances occurring in Japan–– it is something many people are not aware of, and embarrassingly, most Japanese citizens are not aware of this situation either. After thorough
negotiations, the Japanese government has improved the child welfare law and decided to support the foster care system. However, foster care is not yet accepted by society and is still considered uncommon in Japan, so there has always been a lack of people willing to become foster parents. This is the reason for why we advocate for the foster care system. Although children cannot choose the environment they live in, every child, no matter which country they are born in, has the right to be loved. This is the mission that I am dedicating my career to.
Please support us in helping improve the lives of these children in Japan.
Sincerely,
Shinobu Iwasa
Director Of Japan Children Support Association
*An English version is available on the donation page. Please select “EN” in the upper right corner after clicking the button.
How We Support Foster Care in Japan
We focus on empowering foster parents and building a sustainable foster care system.
At this time, we do not accept:
・Individual adoption inquiries
・Material donations
・General volunteer applications
Your financial support helps more children grow up in safe and loving families.
