Diversifying Hoikuen Offerings to Drive Japan Essay Example for Free

Diversifying Hoikuen Offerings to Drive Japan Essay Japan lies amongst the leading countries in providing the early childhood care and education in the world. The pre-primary and child care industry is one of the most important growth drivers of the overall education industry in Japan and forms a major share of the educational spending of the households. The falling births rates of Japan for last several years have although adversely affected the number of enrollments in last few years, however, the demand for the childcare and preschool centres remains high. The rising participation of women in the workforce has further strengthened the demand. Presently, the government of Japan is facing huge to provide more number of preschool and childcare centres in order to meet the huge demand. Private players, over the years have taken advantage of the prevailing demand-supply crisis situation and have resultantly gained increasing traction in the pre-primary education and childcare industry of Japan. The pre-primary education and childcare markets of Japan are broadly segmented on the basis of the target population and work status of parents, and are governed under separate ministries. The pre-primary education market of Japan is characterized by high gross enrollment rates, encouraged and supported by growing awareness levels amongst the masses about the importance of the pre-primary education. Pre-primary education market thus enjoys a dominant share in the overall market and showcased revenues of USD ~ million in FY’2012. The pre-primary market caters to children of 3-6 years of age through preschool centres called youchien. The childcare market of Japan is growing industry segment which caters to children of 4 months to 6 years of age through centers called hoikuen. The childcare centres of Japan provide both preschool education and care to the young kids. The demand for the childcare centres has been rising in Japan with an increasing number of dual-income earning households. In FY’2013, the market registered revenues of USD ~ million, growing by 7. 8% from FY’2012. Japan pre-primary education and childcare industry is highly fragmented with private players forming ~% of the total market. An increasing number of players have entered in the industry over the years, attracted by the high demand existing in the sector. Some of the major players include Pigeonhearts Corporation, Poppins Corporation, Benesse and CombiWith Corporation. Majority of the major providers are subsidiaries of companies operating in diverse fields while only a few such as Poppins Corporation, specialize in providing childcare  services. The pre-primary and childcare industry of Japan is undergoing changes regarding the curriculum adopted for the academic purposes. The industry is transitioning from a play-based curriculum to increasing preferability of the academic orientation in preschools. Also, the preschools and childcare centres in Japan have started providing diversified services with a view to attract greater number of enrollments. These include enrichment lessons, care services at vacations, night time care etc. Furthermore, the separate formats of childcare and preschools are expected to merge in future in order to satisfy the rising demand. The report â€Å"Japan Pre-primary Education and Childcare Industry Outlook to FY’2018† provides detailed overview on the preschool industry from various perspectives. The report encloses a comprehensive analysis of the various segments of the market reflecting the present scenario and future growth affected by changing industry dynamics in coming years. Additionally, the report also entails information about the government rules and policies, rational analysis of the macroeconomic factors, along with the competitive landscape of the pre-primary education and childcare industry. The report will help industry consultants, companies and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in future. For more information on the market, please refer to our recent publication on: http://www. kenresearch. com/education/pre-school-education/japan-pre-primary-education-research-report/400-99. html.