4.1 Father Childcare Qualification Exam

The bell in the university lecture hall rings, and 400 men begin the exam. They’re taking the Father Childcare Qualification Exam.  A total of 1,030 fathers took this first exam, which was held in seven cities nationwide, including Tokyo and Osaka. 

The test has 50 questions on how to care for children up to age 6. Topics include pregnancy, infant vaccinations, nutrition, and even popular cartoon characters. Each test taker will receive a certificate with his exam results, but the purpose is to get men interested in childcare, not to give grades.

In Japan, people are realizing that fathers need to help raise their children. This is partly because more mothers have jobs. But there is another reason /— fathers have started focusing more on their families instead of only on their jobs. It’s another example of how Japanese society is changing in the modern world.