The Democratic Party of Japan is having difficulty handling a key election promise — the monthly child allowance — because of financial constraints. The Hatoyama administration has included the monthly ¥13,000 allowance for each child 15 years old or younger in the fiscal 2010 budget, and the total cost reaches ¥2.255 trillion.
The allowance will be paid from June regardless of family income. It is based on the idea that society as a whole is responsible for rearing children and that child-rearing families are entitled to receive support from society.