Authorized daycare in Minato:fees and meals are fully free
Official name
Minato Ward Authorized Daycare Fees (港区認可保育園等利用者負担額)
Authorized daycare (認可保育園), certified kindergartens (認定こども園), Minato Ward's own daycare rooms (港区保育室), and small-scale childcare facilities (地域型保育) all charge ¥0/month basic fees for every household, every age, every birth-order child.
Universal free coverage was reached in September 2025, when Minato Ward extended free care to the first child age 0–2 in tax-paying households (the last group still paying). Lunch and snacks are also free. What still costs money: extension-care fees for early/late hours (capped at ¥0–¥10,000/month depending on income), the early-morning daycare fee at one specific daycare, and per-school items like field-trip costs and certain materials.Basic fees and meals are fully free
Regardless of income, regardless of age, regardless of how many children. Authorized daycare, certified kindergartens, and small-scale childcare in Minato are all ¥0/month for the basic fee. Lunch is also free. Extension-care and per-school fees are separate.
EXTENSION-CARE FEES
The 3-tier extension-care fee schedule
Only when you use early-morning (6:15–7:15) or evening (after 18:15) extension care, you pay according to your household's resident-tax bracket.
| Tier | Eligibility | 7:15–19:15 (per hour) | 6:15–7:15 / 19:15–22:00 (per hour) | Monthly cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Welfare recipients, certain repatriate-support recipients | ¥0 | ¥200 | ¥2,000 |
| B | Tax-exempt households, or with ward-tax (income-portion) under ¥200,000 | ¥200 | ¥400 | ¥6,000 |
| C | Ward-tax (income-portion) of ¥200,000 or more | ¥400 | ¥600 | ¥10,000 |
Tax bracket is determined using your resident-tax (income-portion) amount after the standard adjustment deduction and the special fixed deduction. Note: dividend deductions, mortgage deductions, donation (furusato) deductions, and foreign tax deductions are NOT subtracted — so you cannot reduce your daycare extension fee through furusato nozei or mortgage deductions. Households who haven't filed resident tax (or don't yet have a tax record in Minato) are placed in Tier C until documents are submitted.
FAQ
Common questions
Really free for high-income households too?
Yes. Minato Ward removed the last income-related fee in September 2025. The 35-tier income-based fee schedule that used to apply (up to ¥77,500/month at the top tier) is no longer in effect. The R8 official guide states clearly: "the basic fee is free for all" (基本保育料は無償です).
Lunch and snack costs?
Lunch (給食費) at authorized daycare, small-scale childcare, certified kindergartens, and Minato Ward daycare rooms is also free. Excluded: per-school items like field trips, special materials, white rice (if the daycare requires you to bring it from home), and bus fees.
When does the extension-care fee apply?
Only when you've registered in advance for early-morning extension (6:15–7:15) or evening extension (18:15+). One-off late pickups without prior registration also incur the fee. Saturdays generally do not have extension service. Children must be at least 1 year old (and on solid food) to use extension care.
Private authorized daycare and small-scale childcare — same rules?
Yes for the basic fee (¥0). Extension-care fees may be set differently by private operators and small-scale childcare facilities (地域型保育), so confirm with the specific facility. The on-call (待機児童) home-visit care has a flat ¥1,000/hour extension fee.
My household just moved to Minato — am I auto-enrolled in Tier C?
Until Minato can confirm your resident-tax record (typically via My Number lookup), yes — you'll be in Tier C. After moving in, ensure you've notified your previous municipality and your tax records are transferred. Contact the Daycare Section for help.
How does this compare with non-authorized daycare?
Non-authorized daycare (認可外, certified) is partially subsidized: families pay the daycare directly, and Minato Ward subsidizes most of the fee back (up to ~¥97,000–¥100,000/month, depending on age). Effectively, you can attend a non-authorized daycare for similar net cost as authorized — but in either case, free authorized daycare is the lowest-friction option if you can secure a spot.
SOURCES
Official sources (in Japanese)
Minato Ward official page
令和8年度保育園入園のごあんない (R8 Daycare Enrollment Guide)
city.minato.tokyo.jp/hoikusien/r8goannnai.html
Minato Ward (PDF, in Japanese)
R8 Daycare Enrollment Guide (page 24, "11 保育料")
city.minato.tokyo.jp/documents/172328/goannnai08.pdf
Japanese version on this site
港区認可保育園等利用者負担額(基本保育料・給食費)
minato-kosodate.com/prototype/...