¥10,000 – ¥30,000 per child per monthfrom age 0 through high-school graduation
Official name
National Child Allowance — 児童手当 (jidou teate)
Japan's universal monthly cash benefit for every child from birth until the end of the fiscal year in which they turn 18 (i.e., the March 31 following their 18th birthday — typically high-school graduation).
Under the October 2024 reform: (1) the previous income limits were completely abolished, (2) the upper age was extended from junior-high to high-school graduation, (3) the third-child counting now extends to age 22's March 31, and (4) payments are made 6 times a year (every 2 months) instead of the old 3 times.
Apply within 15 days of birth or moving into Minato Ward. If you apply late, you cannot receive the allowance for the months you missed.
PER CHILD PER MONTH
Ages 0 – under 3 (1st & 2nd child)
15,000JPY
Ages 3 – high school (1st & 2nd child)
10,000JPY
3rd child or later (any age)
30,000JPY
"3rd child" counts all children under age 22 (until the March 31 of their 22nd-birthday year), so a family with a 21-year-old college student, a 14-year-old, and a 5-year-old still qualifies the youngest as "3rd child" → ¥30,000/month.
ELIGIBILITY
Who can claim this
Resident in Minato Ward, raising the child
You must have a residence record in Minato Ward, and you must be the primary caregiver (生計を維持する者). Typically this is the parent with the higher income, but for international families this includes both Japanese and foreign nationals living in Minato.
No income limit (since October 2024)
Before R6.10, high-income households received a reduced "special benefit" or were excluded. That cap is now gone: every household with eligible children gets the full amount.
Child age limit
From birth until the end of the fiscal year (March 31) when the child turns 18. So if a child turns 18 in November, they remain eligible until March 31 of the following year.
Children living overseas (special rule)
Children living outside Japan are not eligible, except when they are abroad to study. A child studying abroad is eligible for up to 3 years after leaving Japan if all of these apply: (1) the child does not live with either parent abroad, (2) the child lives abroad to receive education, (3) it has been 3 years or less since the child left Japan, and (4) before leaving, the child lived in Japan continuously for more than 3 years (or for more than 3 years in total during the previous 6 years). You submit a declaration form and proof of enrollment.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
When do you receive the money?
6 times a year — every 2 months — to your designated bank account.
Payment months: February, April, June, August, October, December. Each transfer covers the previous 2 months (for example, the April transfer covers February and March) and is paid on the 10th of the payment month (the previous business day if the 10th is a bank holiday). Example: A 1-year-old in a household with one child → ¥15,000/month × 2 = ¥30,000 deposited every 2 months.
HOW TO APPLY
Application process
First-time application: within 15 days of the child's birth or your move into Minato. After that you do not need to apply every year; only some households are asked to submit a status report (現況届) in June.
STEP 1 (within 15 days of birth/move)
Submit the initial application form to Minato Ward
Send by post to the Child Benefits Subsection (子ども給付係), take it to the Health and Welfare Subsection at your Area Branch Office, or apply online via Mynaportal (needs a My Number Card). Documents: the application form (児童手当認定請求書), the applicant's ID, My Number proof for the applicant and spouse, and a copy of a bank passbook or cash card in the applicant's name. A health insurance record is needed only for members of public-servant mutual aid associations. You may send the application form first and the other documents later.
STEP 2
Payment starts from the month after you apply
The allowance is paid from the month following the month of your application (申請月の翌月分から). For mailed applications, the date the documents arrive at the ward office counts as the application date.
STEP 3 (next payment month)
First payment lands in your account
The first deposit arrives in the next payment month (Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct/Dec) and covers the months owed so far.
EVERY YEAR (June)
Status report (現況届) — only if Minato requests it
Since FY2022 most households no longer submit it. Minato mails the form in June to those who must, for example: people whose registered address differs from where they live because of domestic violence, people negotiating a divorce and living apart, and people with a non-student child counted toward the 3rd-child rule.
Critical: the 15-day rule. Apply within 15 days from the day after the birth or the move-in date (if the 15th day falls on a closed day, by the next open day). If you apply late, you cannot receive the allowance for the months you were late. You can send the application form first and the other documents later, so do not wait for every document.
FAQ
Common questions
How does this combine with Tokyo's "018" support?
They are separate benefits and stack. Child Allowance (national, this page) is ¥10,000–¥30,000/month. Tokyo's "018 Support" is an additional ¥5,000/month for residents under 18. Both must be applied for independently.
My family income is over ¥20,000,000. Are we still eligible?
Yes. Since October 2024, the income cap has been completely removed. All households receive the full amount based on child age and birth order.
My child is born outside Japan. Can I still apply?
The child must live in Japan. Children living abroad are not eligible (except the study-abroad rule above), and foreign nationals who are not in the Basic Resident Register (住民基本台帳) are not eligible. Once your child is registered as a resident in Minato, apply within 15 days.
When my child turns 18, when do payments stop?
Payments continue until the first March 31 after the child turns 18 (18歳に達する日以後の最初の3月31日) — for most children, the end of the third year of high school.
Foreign nationals — what extra documentation is needed?
The same documents as everyone else. In addition, if the applicant or spouse was not registered as a resident in Japan on January 1 of the relevant year, a copy of the passport (photo page and the entry/exit stamps around that January 1) is required; foreign nationals registering in Japan for the first time submit the photo page and the landing permission stamp page. Documents in a foreign language need a translation.
SOURCES