Child Welfare Act Promulgation Day

What Is Child Welfare Act Promulgation Day?

December 12th is "Child Welfare Act Promulgation Day" in Japan, marking December 12, 1947, when the Child Welfare Act was promulgated. Most of it took effect on January 1, 1948, with full enforcement from April 1 of the same year.

A Law for Children, Written Soon After the War

The Child Welfare Act sets out the organization of the public bodies responsible for child welfare and the basic principles governing facilities and services.

• Promulgated: December 12, 1947
• In force: partly from January 1, 1948, fully from April 1 that year
• Content: the structure of public child welfare agencies and the principles for related facilities and programs
• Status: one of Japan's six principal social welfare laws

In Law, a "Child" Is Anyone Under 18

Under the Child Welfare Act, a "child" means a person who has not reached the age of 18. The term is subdivided further: an "infant" is under one year old, a "toddler" runs from age one to the start of elementary school, and a "juvenile" covers the years from starting elementary school until turning 18. In everyday Japanese the word often means an elementary school pupil, but in law it reaches much wider.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Find out which law governs the children's center or nursery near you
• Check which statutes make up Japan's six social welfare laws
• Reread your workplace's childcare-related provisions
• Sort out the difference between "child," "pupil" and "student" as legal terms

Definitions Reveal the System

Even a word as ordinary as "child" has a legal definition. December 12th is a day to look at the laws underpinning the systems around you.