July 20, 2026
TOKYO – For children in households struggling financially, summer vacation, a period when school meals are not provided, is a difficult time. Even during extremely hot days, some families refrain from using air conditioning out of concern for the household budget.
Private organizations and local governments are urged to strengthen their support for such households so that children do not have to go without meals or endure the heat.
According to the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions released this month by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, 11% of children age 17 and under were classified as living in poverty in 2024, while the figure for single-parent households reached 44.7%. Both figures remain high.
Rising prices are also having an impact, placing a heavy burden on food expenses for single-parent households and others. It is not uncommon for children to say, “School lunch is the only nutritionally balanced meal I get all day.”
In a survey of parents conducted last year by Kids Door, a certified nonprofit organization that supports children’s nutrition and other needs, more than 50% of respondents reported that during summer vacation, they had “reduced the amount or frequency of their children’s meals” and “spent time without air conditioning even when it was hot.”
This situation risks having a negative impact not only on children’s physical health but also on their mental well-being. It is essential to ensure that children have access to balanced meals and a cool place to spend time.
It is fundamentally the responsibility of parents to do their utmost to ensure their children grow up healthy. The significance of that responsibility must not be forgotten. But at the same time, if their efforts to change their current low-income situation bear no fruit, it is also necessary to establish systems for mutual support.
An increasing number of local governments are focusing their efforts on supporting children in need.
The city of Miyoshi, Aichi Prefecture, has decided to provide ¥6,000 per month per child age 18 and under in low-income households. During summer vacation, the city also opens its public facilities and provides boxed meals.
Furthermore, another local government keeps after-school childcare facilities open all day during summer vacation and provides boxed meals for lunches to those who request them. It would be worth considering waiving or reducing usage or lunch fees in order to ensure that children from low-income households can also visit these facilities.
In May, the Children and Families Agency and other relevant agencies compiled a list of subsidy programs, which are currently scattered across six different ministries and agencies, and notified local governments of it. There has been much criticism that even when the central government establishes various support programs, they are not sufficiently publicized.
The central government should eliminate bureaucratic silos among ministries and agencies and implement support measures that prioritize the perspectives of local governments and parents. Local governments also need to learn from the initiatives in place in other regions and start with what they can do.
Another problem is the “experience gap” — in which some children are unable to go on trips or do other activities during summer vacation. The public and private sectors must cooperate to actively plan events, such as job shadowing opportunities, that will create lasting summer memories.