Encouraging foster care requires Japanese communities to change

Approximately 45,000 children in Japan are separated from their biological parents and in need of a home. Many have suffered abuse or were in poverty. The government estimates 80% of these children reside in institutional facilities for orphans. Only 20% live under foster care, a remarkably low rate compared to western countries such as 77% in the US and 93% in Australia. The UN recommends family-based care such as fostering or adoption rather than institutional care for orphans.

The low number of children in foster homes is considered a serious issue in social work and related fields, but Japan has struggled to improve it and also to spread awareness in general. We need to re-examine societal problems to develop the most effective ways to approach this situation for the best interest of these children.

Supportive environment for ALL parents

To say the least, modern Japan is not the most parenting-friendly country. The shrinking birth rate reflects the hesitation of young people towards having children. Japan’s birth rate has decreased six years in a row, down 3.4% in 2021 compared to the previous year. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the trend, but the continuous shrinking numbers imply something fundamental about Japanese society. Too many young people perceive child-rearing as difficult and believe that it would add more challenges and financial burdens to their lives. They sense the lack of support, socially, emotionally and financially, and it can hold them back even if they wish to become parents.

Therefore, one would imagine it would be even more difficult to raise foster children in such an environment. Fostering children can create unique challenges and demand hard work, so only a handful of people feel encouraged to get involved. In other words, a parenting-friendly society would also be friendly to foster care families. If there were adequate resources available for parents in the community and child-rearing were not solely on parents’ shoulders, it is likely more of us would take on the role to support a good cause.

Improving awareness, promoting child-centered approach

As mentioned, in modern Japanese society, many feel that parents are obligated to take responsibility for everything about their children. Typical parents feel tremendous pressure to be successful in parenting on their own. Foster parents are not excluded from this view. However, when we look at the Japanese Child Welfare Law, it states that “The national and local governments, together with their parents, are liable for raising children in good physical and mental health.” According to this law, all parents are promised support from the national and local government regardless of their social or financial circumstances.

Technically, every child should have access to a safe and healthy environment to grow in no matter who the parents are. Increased awareness could encourage more people to get involved in parenting and help parents reach out for support more quickly and frequently.

From the perspective of children’s rights, when a child struggles to grow, there must be a system empowering the child to seek support for her needs to be appropriately met. This concept has been almost nonexistent in Japanese society. The child-centered approach is relatively new, and the government’s to-be-established “Child and Family Agency” will draw attention to integrating such a system.

Furthermore, Japan’s social services and funds for foster care have been growing recently. Nonprofit organizations that recruit foster parents and advise the government sector play a huge role. They are extremely helpful, but we can not completely depend on them and hope the number of foster families will increase. Holistic support, including public awareness, seems essential for nurturing foster children in any community.

Transitioning towards inclusive communities

Japan should also accelerate its efforts to build inclusive communities. The culture’s tendency to exclude community members who do not fit in the conventional categories is still prevalent, with or without intention. For example, schools across Japan often assign children to write thank-you letters to their parents, sometimes specifically to mothers or fathers. This assignment could hurt children who are not in the “typical” family dynamic, including children in foster care, abusive households or single-parent families.

Unfortunately, children who do not share history, biological relationships or a home with parents are challenged in social systems. This is more so in countries like Japan where traditions are preserved and people are unaccustomed to diversity. The lesson here may be some customs do not match modern society’s needs anymore; therefore, we need to reshape them. To do that, people need to start having conversations. Everyone should be part of these conversations, as we are all equally accountable to our communities’ vulnerable children.

As we become aware of more diverse families living in Japan, we recognize children’s increasingly diverse needs. There are already many minority households, such as international, single-parent and LGBTQ. The unique needs of foster families must also be addressed.

Building a community that doesn’t let these families suffer isolation or exclusion would be a significant first step. Whatever group we belong to, each of us can pitch in so that society will change its shape to be more resilient and inclusive. If foster families feel welcomed and included in the community, we can expect such an environment to have the same effects on other minority families. These efforts and compassionate practices to one another can, as a result, help build an environment where each child thrives regardless of their background.

It’s not only about helping orphans

With more complicated social problems today, the number of orphans going into institutions is increasing. However, the strategies above could change the trend for the better because they offer solutions to many of the problems we face today. As each of us takes a small step towards a more supportive and inclusive society, there will be fewer children without homes.