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Japan's child allowance (jido teate) is paid to anyone raising a child up to the end of the school year they turn 18, and foreigners receive it on the same terms; visa type and nationality do not matter, only that parent and child are registered residents. 15,000 yen a month under age 3, 10,000 yen from 3 to the end of high school, 30,000 yen for a third or later child, with no income limit since October 2024: about 2.34 million yen per child. Paid in even months, two months at a time. Apply at your city office within 15 days of the birth or of moving in and it starts from the month after; missed months are not back-paid. A child living abroad is not covered (only exception: study abroad within 3 years). A moving-out notice ends it; a trip home with the record kept continues; if the recipient leaves, the spouse re-applies.

Foreign children can use daycare and kindergarten in Japan; nationality is not a condition. Daycare checks that both parents have a reason they cannot care for the child at home, such as work or study. The 3-to-5 classes are free; for ages 0 to 2 the fee follows residence tax (0 to 70,600 yen a month in Osaka, 0 to 77,500 in Yokohama). April entry is applied for the autumn before: 1 to 28 October 2026 in Yokohama. Plus kindergarten and the new universal nursery program (up to 10 hours a month).

Health insurance in Japan leaves you 20% of a child's bill before primary school and 30% after; your city's children's medical subsidy covers some or all of that. 1,576 of 1,741 municipalities cover clinic visits to age 18 (April 2025). Foreign children qualify with a resident record and Japanese insurance. Tokyo charges up to 200 yen a visit, Osaka up to 500 yen a day (cap 2,500 a month), Yokohama nothing. Plus how to apply after a birth or move, and claiming refunds (5 years in Osaka and Yokohama).

Family you support can join your company health insurance in Japan as dependents with no premium, whatever their nationality. They must be registered as living in Japan and earn under 1.3 million yen a year (1.5 million at 19-22 since October 2025, 1.8 million at 60+), and under half your income if you live together. Family in your home country cannot be added since April 2020, unlike the tax dependent. File through your employer within 5 days; a spouse also becomes Category 3 and pays no pension premium. A Dependent-visa spouse working 28 hours a week passes 1.3 million from 893 yen an hour.