When You Are Having a Hard Time Raising Your Child

If raising your child feels difficult, if you are worried about your child's development, if you have no one to rely on, or if you are having any other difficulty, you can consult your municipality and other places.

You do not need to wait until the problem becomes serious before consulting someone.

What kinds of things can you talk about?

For example:

• Raising your child feels difficult
• Your baby keeps crying and you don't know what to do
• You are worried about your child's development
• You want to know about nursery schools
• You are struggling with how to interact with your child
• Your relationship with your family is difficult
• You don't have enough money to live on
• It is difficult to complete procedures in Japanese

and more.

Municipal consultation counters

Your municipality has a counter where you can consult about pregnancy, childbirth, and childrearing.

Some local governments have a counter that handles consultations for the whole family, such as a "Children and Families Center."

The name and structure differ by local government.

Worried about your child's development

You can consult about this at infant checkups, childrearing consultations, and similar places.

If necessary, they may connect you to a specialized organization.

Afraid you might hurt your child

If raising your child has reached its limit and you feel you might hit or hurt your child strongly, or you feel it is difficult to keep things safe on your own, ask for help immediately from those around you or from a public consultation counter.

If there is an immediate danger to your child's safety, also use emergency support such as the police or an ambulance.

Wanting to consult in a foreign language

Your municipality's foreign resident consultation counter, an international exchange association, or similar organizations may be able to connect you to the counter in charge of childrearing.

What you can check next

• First steps when you are pregnant
• When your baby is born
• Nursery schools, Certified Centers for Early Childhood Education and Care, and kindergartens
• Infant checkups, vaccinations, and the Child Allowance
• Abuse, discrimination, and bullying

Main places to check

• Children and Families Agency
• Your municipality
• Children and Families Centers, and similar organizations

Last checked: August 2026