Tokyo’s New Subscription Service for Diapers Eases Burden on Parents and Nursery Schools

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:42 JST, June 2, 2023

Tokyo’s Toshima Ward has introduced a subscription service for diapers at all of its municipal nursery schools, whereby any number of diapers provided by the school can be used for a monthly fee.

Before the service was introduced on Thursday, parents of a child attending a municipal nursery school had to write their child’s name on diapers and bring them to the school. The nursery schools also had to keep records showing when each diaper was received and used, putting a burden on both parents and school staff.

The subscription service allows the use of as many diapers and wipes as a child needs while in the care of the school.

Toshima Ward conducted a trial project for subscriptions involving about 100 children at two nursery schools in the ward for two months from December 2022.

When a questionnaire was sent out to parents, many positive comments were received, such as, “The service is more convenient for parents” and “It helps reduce the administrative workload for staff.”

The service is provided by a private company, and parents sign a contract directly with the company. The fee is ¥2,780 per month.

The two nursery schools that participated in the trial project started using the service in May. The remaining 14 nursery schools that started in June are using the service free of charge for a one-month trial period.

“We will continue to work to improve the convenience of the service while listening to the opinions of those on the ground,” an official of the ward said.