Koike backs idea of foreign housekeepers in special zones

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike says the metropolitan government should allow foreigners to conduct housekeeping services in strategic deregulation zones authorized by the Japanese government.

The proposal is expected to be approved by the government soon.

“In terms of tapping more female power, (the services) will reduce burdens on women at home,” Koike said at a government meeting on national strategic special zones.

Tokyo will be the third government to use the deregulatory measures to let foreign workers carry out housework support services, following Osaka and Kanagawa prefectures.

The services will include cooking, laundry, cleaning, child care and other forms of housework, covering all areas in the capital.

The metropolitan government plans to select operators for the option within the fiscal year ending in March 2017.

Koike also expressed her intention to use the deregulatory scheme to build a certified facility for early childhood education and care within Yoyogi Park in Shibuya Ward, managed by the metropolitan government.

To reduce waiting lists to enter publicly certified nursery schools, the facility is expected to open as early as October 2017, with a capacity of 128 children.

With four child care facility development projects already authorized in Tokyo, the metropolitan government plans to advance such efforts further.