Support for Childcare
and Nursing Care
Policy / way of thinking
One of the most fundamental responsibilities of a company is to create a work environment that supports childbirth and parenting—where employees balancing work and childcare can thrive. To that end, SoftBank has implemented childcare support policies and a general business plan in accordance with Japan's Act on Advancement of Measures to Support Raising Next-Generation Children.
SoftBank is also enhancing support systems to help employees who are balancing work with the care of elderly family members. Our goal is to prevent employees from having to leave their jobs due to the burdens of long-term caregiving at home.
External Evaluation
Hataraku Yell 2025:
Excellent Employee Benefits Corporation Recognition
The Hataraku Yell program certifies and honors companies that actively enhance and utilize employee benefit programs to support working individuals. SoftBank Corp. was selected as a “Hataraku Yell 2025 Excellent Employee Benefits Corporation” and was recognized for its outstanding initiatives.
The award recognized the Company's proactive efforts to enhance its support systems for balancing work with both childcare and nursing care—and to actively encourage their use.
Company measures to address Japan's low birthrate
As part of our efforts to address Japan's declining birthrate, we have established a proprietary childcare support system that goes beyond legal requirements—including special childbirth allowances.
Special childbirth allowances
We provide regular employees with childbirth allowances ranging from ¥50,000 for the first child to ¥5 million for the fifth child. In FY2024, 619 employees received allowances for their first or second child, and 93 employees received them for their third child or beyond.
| Years with SoftBank | Under one year | Over one year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of children born | All | First born | Second born | Third born | Fourth born | Fifth born and beyond |
| Allowance | ¥20,000 | ¥50,000 | ¥100,000 | ¥1 million | ¥3 million | ¥5 million |
Child support system policy outline
To support employees during pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, SoftBank Corp. offers flexible work systems to employees from pregnancy until the child reaches the end of elementary school.
Maternity / Paternity Leave
| System | Content | Legal requirements in Japan | Coverage exceeding statutory requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical and Cancer Treatment Leave*1,2 | Available for medical visits, including infertility treatments | No legal provisions | Company's original system
|
| Maternity leave for outpatient medical care*1,2 | Can be obtained when visiting the hospital for medical check-ups during pregnancy available until one year post-delivery | The time necessary to receive health guidance or health examinations for expectant and nursing mothers must be reserved for them
|
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| Maternity protection care leave*1 | Can be obtained if received a doctor's order regarding maternal protection | Based on the guidance of a physician or other health care provider, measures must be taken to limit work during pregnancy, shorten working hours, or take leave from work | Salary paid under accumulated annual leave |
| Maternity leave*3 | Six weeks prior to and eight weeks after childbirth | Women shall not be allowed to work for 6 weeks before childbirth (14 weeks in the case of multiple pregnancies, both upon request by the woman) and 8 weeks after childbirth | Employees working in sales can take special maternity leave from the time they find out they are pregnant |
| Paternity leave*2,4 | Five days of special paid leave can be taken starting from one week prior to and one month after childbirth | No legal provisions | Company's original system
|
- [Notes]
-
- *1Unpaid unless replaced with accumulated annual leave
- *2Half-day leave increments are available
- *3Unpaid
- *4Paid
- *1
Leave and holidays during childcare
| System | Content | Legal requirements in Japan | Coverage exceeding statutory requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare leave*1 | May be taken in up to two installments until the day before the child's first birthday
|
Upon request by an employee, childcare leave may be granted until the child reaches the age of two
|
|
| Childcare leave at birth*1 | Available up to 4 weeks, divided up to two times, until the day before the child's 8 weeks old
|
Upon request from a worker, childcare leave at birth shall be granted up to 4 weeks and divided up to two times, until the child's 8 weeks old |
|
| Sick / injured childcare leave*1,2 | This leave is available until the child completes the third grade of elementary school and may be used for childcare-related needs such as illness, immunizations, health checkups, school closures due to infectious disease, and participation in school events such as entrance or graduation ceremonies | Employees may request up to five days of unpaid leave per year, taken on a daily or hourly basis, for each child who has not yet reached the third grade of elementary school |
|
| Kids' leave*1,2 | Employees may take this leave until their child or grandchild completes elementary school. The leave may be used for caregiving, accompanying the child or grandchild to medical appointments or immunizations, attending school events, or responding to school-related issues or a spouse's hospitalization | No legal provisions | Company's original system
|
- [Notes]
-
- *1Unpaid unless replaced with accumulated annual leave
- *2Available in half days or by hourly
- *For employees taking parental leave, a maximum of one week is paid (the last five working days of the initial leave).
Employees whose spouse gives birth to a child, up to two weeks are paid (5 working days of spousal maternity leave and the last 5 working days of the first leave).
- *1
Special work arrangements
| System | Content | Legal requirements in Japan | Coverage exceeding statutory requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short working hours during pregnancy*1,2,3 | Flexible working hours without core hours are available with reduced monthly scheduled working hours from the time of finding out about the pregnancy until before the baby is born | Must take measures to shorten working hours (based on physician's guidance) | Even if there is no guidance from a doctor, it is available by presenting only the fact of pregnancy |
| Flexible work schedule during pregnancy*1,4 | Flexible working hours without core hours are available from the time of finding out about the pregnancy until before the baby is born | No legal provisions | Even if there is no guidance from a doctor, it is available by presenting only the fact of pregnancy |
| Exemption from overtime and late night work during pregnancy | Overtime and late night work can be waived | No overtime, holiday or late-night work shall be performed when requested by a pregnant employee | - (Available as legally required) |
| Short working hours for childcare*1,2,5 | Flexible working hours without core hours are available with reduced monthly scheduled working hours | A system of shorter working hours of 6 hours per day shall, in principle, be established for workers raising children under 3 years of age | Available until the child's graduation from elementary school |
| Flexible work schedule for childcare*1,4 | Flexible work hours with no core time are available | No legal provisions | Available until the child's graduation from elementary school |
| Limitations on overtime, exemption from overtime, and late-night work for childcare | Limitation or exemption of overtime work and late-night work | If requested by an employee raising a child who has not yet entered elementary school, the employee shall not be required to work more than 24 hours of overtime per month or 150 hours per year. The employee shall also be exempt from late-night work between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. |
Available until the child's graduation from elementary school |
| Childcare time | Time for childcare is available during working hours until the day before the child's first birthday | Upon request of a woman raising a child under one year of age, she must be given at least 30 minutes each twice a day to raise the child | Available regardless of gender |
- [Notes]
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- *1Flexible hours: 7am to 10pm
- *2Flexible hours can be shortened by up to 2 hours and 45 minutes
- *3Shortened working hours during pregnancy apply to employees in sales positions
- *4Employees in sales positions are not eligible
- *5Shortened working hours during pregnancy apply to employees in sales positions
- *1
Other
| System | Content | Legal requirements in Japan | Coverage exceeding statutory requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telecommuting | Support the balance between childcare and work by promoting flexible and efficient use of time, and promote a combination of work and home (best mix) to maximize performance | No legal provisions | Company's original system |
Initiatives to alleviate childcare concerns
As a relief measure for employees concerned about childcare waiting lists during their leave-and to support an early return to work-we have introduced access to approximately 100 company-affiliated daycare centers.*1
In addition, through our employee welfare program “Benefit Station,”*2 employees can access a variety of support services, including daycare, babysitting, housekeeping, subsidies for childcare products, and discounts on nursing clothes for breastfeeding.
Employees whose children attend affiliated nursery schools may also receive childcare subsidies.
Furthermore, to ensure a smooth and worry-free transition back to work after childcare leave (including prenatal and postnatal leave), we provide employees with company-issued mobile phones throughout their leave period.
This enables them to stay connected with the company, access e-learning programs, and participate in orientations and consultation sessions—many of which they can attend with their babies.
- [Notes]
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- *1New daycare centers using open slots in daycare centers set up by other companies (number of centers in use as of May 2023)
- *2Benefit Station is a benefit welfare service provided by Benefit One Inc.
- *1
| Consultation meeting held prior to maternity leave | The program provides an explanation of the systems available during pregnancy and the procedures and benefits after childbirth, and provides opportunities to consult with HR. |
|---|---|
| Orientation during childcare leave | An orientation open to both parent and child which takes place during childcare leave. We are organizing events such as explanations of preparations and systems for returning to work, sharing experiences from senior moms, and holding roundtable discussions among employees on leave. |
| Return to work orientation | We are hosting events where we introduce the systems and internal communities available after returning to work, as well as roundtable discussions where employees can discuss their concerns after returning to work. |
Building a strong employee support network in childcare
Oya Oya Club (Parents Club) was established in 2004 by a group of childcare peer supporters with the aim of improving parent-child communication.
The club provides communication training through workshops on basic counseling and coaching, which teach skills for understanding children's communication signals and building trust. The club also builds awareness in topics such as children's emotional development and parents' communication habits, both of which significantly influence communication. This nine-session course is held twice a year during employees' lunch break, and a mix of 20 male and female employees participate in each session. Depending on the growth of the employees' children, we have released “Regular,” “Elementary School,” and “Adolescent” versions, and a cumulative total of 820 employees have taken the course.
Other activities include the in-house community “Shine2”, which holds lunch meetings and lectures open to all employees, with the aim of building a network among employees and supporting child-rearing.
Promoting male participation in childcare
Declaring paternity leave for all fathers
SoftBank Corp. supports the “Declaring paternity leave for all fathers” sponsored by WORK-LIFE BALANCE Co., Ltd to promote paternity leave.
Many of our childcare support systems—such as paid leave for a spouse's childbirth, childcare leave, kid's leave, and short-time flexible work—go beyond legal requirements, making it easier for employees to participate in childcare.
A dedicated portal on the company intranet provides information on childcare support, including interviews with male employees balancing work and parenting, as well as explanations of related policies and procedures. To encourage more male employees to take childcare leave, we also hold an annual company-hosted parenting class to promote understanding of its importance.