Kitakyushu City Papa Childcare Leave / Short-time Work First-User Support Incentive

This is a Kitakyushu City incentive launched on June 20, 2025 to promote male workers' uptake of childcare leave (ikuji kyugyo) and reduced-hours childcare work (ikuji tanjikan kinmu) at private SMEs within the city, supporting work-family balance in the workplace. A flat JPY 100,000 is paid to each eligible employer the first time a male employee in the company takes such leave or reduced-hours work, encouraging male childcare participation through the corporate channel. Eligible employers must have their head office or principal office in Kitakyushu City and qualify as an SME under Annex 1 (capital/employee thresholds vary by industry — e.g. up to JPY 300m / 300 staff for manufacturing/construction/transport), be enrolled in employment insurance (notification under Article 7 of the Employment Insurance Act), have no serious violations of the Childcare/Caregiver Leave Act or Labor Standards Act, not engage in entertainment/sex-related business, not be associated with organized crime, have no municipal tax arrears, have childcare leave or reduced-hours work codified in their work rules, and consent to public disclosure of the situation report. The target worker must be an employment-insurance-covered male, the company's first male user of either system, working at a city establishment, and continuing the same employment after returning. The incentive is a flat JPY 100,000 grant (not expense-reimbursement). Two tracks exist: (a) at least 14 cumulative days of childcare leave for a child under 3, starting on or after April 1, 2025; or (b) 28 or more continuous days of reduced-hours childcare work for a pre-school child, starting on or after April 1, 2026. Each track is limited to one award per employer. Use of funds is flexible (allowances to the worker or coworkers, replacement staffing, welfare benefits, business expenses). Application: file Form 1 plus Annex 2 documents BEFORE the worker begins leave/reduced-hours work; transitional measure allows April 1 – June 19, 2025 starters to apply by July 9, 2025. Electronic filing is permitted. After leave ends (or 28 days after reduced-hours work begins), submit Form 3 performance report plus Annex 3 documents within 20 days, or by March 31 of the fiscal year — whichever is earlier. Key application points: confirm "first male user in the entire company group," maintain compliant work rules, hold employment-insurance enrollment, have no municipal tax arrears, and agree to publication.