Fees at Tokyo-certified and unlicensed daycare subsidized up to ¥70,000 a month (¥73,700 in some cases)

Parents using Tokyo-certified daycare (ninshō hoikusho) or unlicensed childcare facilities receive a subsidy toward the monthly basic daycare fee. The subsidy is the lower of the monthly basic daycare fee actually paid and ¥70,000. There are programs for both the 0–2-year-old and 3–5-year-old classes. From the October 2026 fee, as the limit of national facility use benefits rose, the limit for facilities other than company-led childcare became ¥73,700 for tax-exempt households in the 0–2-year-old classes and ¥73,300 for the 3–5-year-old classes. From October, amounts under ¥1,000 are no longer rounded down, and the subsidy is paid to the yen. From the April 2026 fee, families are covered regardless of whether they have applied to licensed daycare and similar. The waiting-list requirement that used to be necessary has been abolished. The conditions are: the child and parent are registered as residents of Nakano City on the first day of the month; you have a monthly contract with a covered facility on the first day of the month; you pay the daycare fee in full; and you have a need for childcare such as work. Households exempt from resident tax must have facility use benefit certification (new No. 3).