What changes
The first stage of the 2024 amendments (Act No. 42 of 2024, promulgated 31 May 2024) took effect on 1 April 2025.
For parents: sick-child leave was renamed and widened, now covering children until the end of the third year of primary school, with closures for infectious disease and entrance and graduation ceremonies added as reasons. The right to be excused from overtime was extended from parents of children under three to parents of children before primary school. Employers must make efforts to let parents of children under three telework, and telework was added to the alternatives for staff who cannot use short-time work. Employers can no longer exclude staff with under six months' service from sick-child leave by agreement.
On disclosure: employers with more than 300 employees, down from more than 1,000, must publish men's childcare leave uptake once a year. Under the Next Generation Act, employers with more than 100 employees must now analyse leave uptake and working hours and set numerical targets on both in their action plans.
For caregivers: employers must tell an employee who reports a care situation about the support available and ask their intentions, give information to employees at around age 40, set up training or a consultation point, and make efforts to allow telework. The six-month service exclusion for short-term caregiver leave was abolished.
Who it applies to
Every employer. The disclosure duty starts above 300 employees, and the action-plan targets above 100.
Action for employers
- Check your work rules were updated. Old age limits and service exclusions are now void.
- Publish your uptake rate. Above 300 employees, it is due yearly.
- Set up the caregiver notices. Prepare the age-40 information and a script for when an employee reports a care need.
- Review your action plan targets. Above 100 employees, plans made since April 2025 need numbers on both leave and hours.
Sources
- Act on Childcare Leave, Caregiver Leave and Other Measures, and Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children, as amended by Act No. 42 of 2024, promulgated 31 May 2024 (provisions in force 1 April 2025).
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, guidance on the 2024 amendments to the Childcare and Caregiver Leave Act.