Nursery Fees in 3 Ehime Cities: Up to ¥57,000-¥63,000 a Month for Ages 0-2, Second-Child Discounts Compared

This page explains nursery (hoikuen) fees in Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama in Ehime Prefecture. For your own fee, ask the childcare division of your city (Matsuyama: Childcare and Kindergarten Division 089-948-6882; Imabari: Childcare and Kindergarten Division 0898-36-1524; Niihama: Children’s Childcare Division 0897-65-1582).

In Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama, childcare fees for children aged 3 to 5 are free under the national free-childcare program. For ages 0 to 2, the monthly fee depends on the household’s city resident tax (income-based portion). The highest bracket for standard-hours care is ¥57,000 in Matsuyama, ¥58,000 in Imabari and ¥63,000 in Niihama. All three cities halve the fee for a second child and make it free for a third child onward, but they count siblings differently.

In short

Ages 3 to 5: the childcare fee is free. The side-dish fee for school lunch (side dishes and snacks) and event fees are charged separately.
Ages 0 to 2: free for households exempt from resident tax. For taxed households it depends on the income-based portion of city resident tax and is recalculated every September.
How siblings are counted: Matsuyama counts children of preschool age who attend at the same time, Niihama counts children up to the 3rd grade of elementary school, and Imabari has a rule that counts siblings under 18.

Checked with official pages on October 27, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours may change.

1. Fees and discounts in the 3 Ehime cities in one table

All 3 cities use the same form, half price for the second child and free from the third, and the difference is which siblings are included when counting “which child”. In a family with an older child in elementary or junior high school, a child aged 0 to 2 is counted as the first or the second child depending on the city.

City	Top fee for ages 0-2 (standard hours, monthly)	How siblings are counted (general households)	Side-dish fee exemption for ages 3-5
Matsuyama	¥57,000	Preschool children attending at the same time. If there are 3 or more children under 18, the 3rd onward under age 3 is half price	Income-based portion under ¥57,700, or 3rd child onward counted among preschoolers
Imabari	¥58,000	Siblings under 18 are counted: the 2nd is half price and the 3rd onward ¥0 (appendix table of the ordinance)	3rd child onward counted among preschoolers. There is also an exemption by city tax amount
Niihama	¥63,000	Children in the 3rd grade of elementary school or below are counted	Income-based portion under ¥57,700, or 3rd child onward counted among children in the 3rd grade or below

Sources: Matsuyama City “Fees (user charges)”, the appendix table of Imabari City’s ordinance on education and childcare benefits for children, Niihama City “About childcare fees”, and the Q&A of Imabari City’s Childcare and Kindergarten Division (checked October 27, 2026). For households with an income-based portion under ¥57,700, all 3 cities count siblings regardless of age.

2. Ages 3 to 5 are free; kindergarten extended care and unlicensed facilities have monthly caps

When a child aged 3 to 5 attends a licensed nursery, a certified early childhood center or community-based childcare, the childcare fee is free and no application is needed. Only the usage fee is free; transport costs, food ingredient costs, event fees and extended-care fees are paid by parents. Niihama City: About free early childhood education and care

For unlicensed childcare facilities and kindergarten extended care, the caps were raised for use from October 1, 2026. According to Matsuyama and Niihama:

Unlicensed facilities, temporary childcare, sick-child care and Family Support (ages 3-5): ¥37,000 a month to ¥40,300.
Same, for households exempt from resident tax with children aged 0-2: ¥42,000 a month to ¥45,700.
Kindergarten extended care: ¥450 a day to ¥490 (in Niihama the cap is ¥12,300 a month, and ¥17,700 a month for households exempt from tax with a child who has turned 3 years old).
Fees at kindergartens that have not moved to the new system: ¥25,700 a month to ¥28,000.

For unlicensed facilities and extended care, you pay the facility and are reimbursed by the city, and first you need certification for “facility use benefits for child-rearing”. Matsuyama says it cannot certify retroactively from the application date, so apply by the day you start using the facility. Payments are made 4 times a year. Matsuyama City: Free early childhood education and care

3. Fees for ages 0 to 2 depend on city tax and change in September

The fee for ages 0 to 2 is set by applying the total of the parents’ city tax income-based portion to the city’s bracket table, using the previous year’s tax from April to August and recalculating with that year’s tax from September. If grandparents who live with you are considered the main earners of the household, their tax is added too (Matsuyama’s guidance).

In all 3 cities the income-based portion is taken before deductions such as the housing loan deduction and donation tax deductions such as hometown tax donations. If your tax is not yet fixed, Matsuyama tentatively applies the highest amount. Short-hours care (up to 8 hours a day) is a little cheaper than standard hours.

City tax category	Matsuyama	Imabari	Niihama
Households exempt from tax	¥0	¥0	¥0
Lowest taxed bracket	¥15,000	¥15,000	¥16,000
Income-based portion around ¥97,000	¥29,000	¥30,000	¥30,000
Highest bracket	¥57,000	¥58,000	¥63,000

Monthly amount for standard-hours care, first child. The “lowest taxed bracket” is households paying only the per-capita levy in Matsuyama and Niihama, and the bracket under ¥24,300 in Imabari. “Around ¥97,000” is the bracket of ¥74,000 to under ¥111,000 in Matsuyama, ¥80,800 to under ¥97,000 in Imabari and ¥77,101 to under ¥97,000 in Niihama. Single-parent households and others have separate lower amounts. Source: each city’s fee table (checked October 27, 2026).

Niihama says the school lunch fee (food ingredient costs) for ages 0 to 2 is included in the childcare fee. When a child enters or leaves in the middle of a month, Niihama calculates by the day, while Matsuyama calculates by the month and does not prorate.

4. Second- and third-child discounts and applications by city

The second- and third-child discounts are decided by the city from the number of children in the household and the city tax category, so the form that applies changes with the older child’s age and the household’s income-based portion. If an older child attends a different facility, submitting an attendance certificate dated on or after the younger child’s entry day may make the discount apply (Matsuyama’s guidance).

Matsuyama: counts preschoolers attending at the same time; 3 or more children means half price under 3

Matsuyama’s fees for ages 0 to 2 run from ¥15,000 (standard hours, households paying only the per-capita levy) to ¥57,000 (households with an income-based portion of ¥342,000 or more). The table of fees for category-3 certified children was updated on October 26, 2026. Matsuyama City: Fees (user charges)

For the multiple-children discount, households with an income-based portion under ¥57,700 (categories C1 and C2 and part of C3) count all children from the oldest, and other households count children before elementary school who use a nursery or similar at the same time. The second child is half price and the third onward free. Even for households with an income-based portion of ¥57,700 or more, if there are 3 or more children under 18, whether or not they live together, the 3rd onward under age 3 is half price, and if that child is also a second child among preschoolers, the two stack to a quarter of the amount.

Single-parent households and households with a child (or person) with a disability at home pay ¥5,500 a month for the first child and nothing from the second child in categories C1 to C4, and in C5 if the income-based portion is under ¥77,101. There are also reductions, for example when a child is absent 15 days or more in a month because of illness or injury.

In fiscal 2026, Matsuyama subsidizes nurseries that keep the quality of school lunch without asking parents for an extra charge, to cover the rise in food ingredient costs from inflation. Matsuyama City: Temporary support for the rise in nursery lunch ingredient costs

Inquiries: Childcare and Kindergarten Division 089-948-6882 and 6951

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Imabari: a rule that counts siblings under 18

According to the appendix table of its ordinance, Imabari’s fees for ages 0 to 2 run from ¥15,000 for the bracket with an income-based portion under ¥24,300 (C1) to ¥58,000 for ¥301,000 or more. The same table has a “second child exception” column: a child under 3 who is the second oldest of the children under 18 in the same household pays about half (for example, bracket D9, ¥55,000 to ¥27,500). The fee for a child under 3 who is the third or later is set at ¥0, and the Q&A of the city’s Childcare and Kindergarten Division also answers that a child under 3 who is the third or later in a household with children under 18 is free. The detailed counting conditions can be confirmed with the Childcare and Kindergarten Division. Imabari City: Ordinance on education and childcare benefits for children

The fee uses the previous year’s city tax from April to August and that year’s from September. The side-dish fee for ages 3 to 5 is exempt from the third child onward counting from children before elementary school, and some households are exempt by city tax amount. Imabari Childcare and Kindergarten Division Q&A (about fees)

At Seika Kindergarten, which has not moved to the new system, fees are free up to ¥28,000 a month. For the side-dish fee, up to ¥4,500 a month is subsidized for households with an income-based portion under ¥77,101 and for the third child onward counting from children up to the 3rd grade of elementary school. Imabari City: Guide to free fees at Seika Kindergarten (PDF)

Inquiries: Childcare and Kindergarten Division 0898-36-1524

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Niihama: counts children in the 3rd grade or below; no age limit under ¥57,700

Niihama’s fees for ages 0 to 2 run from ¥16,000 (households paying only the per-capita levy) to ¥63,000 (households with an income-based portion of ¥397,000 or more). The amount is the same at public and private nurseries, certified early childhood centers and community-based childcare. For lunch for ages 3 to 5, the staple (rice or bread) is brought from home and the side dishes (side dishes, snacks and drinks) are charged. Niihama City: About childcare fees

There are 3 forms of discount from the second child. Households with an income-based portion under ¥57,700 get half price for the second child and free from the third with no age limit. Households requiring protection, such as single-parent households, with an income-based portion under ¥77,101 get free from the second child with no age limit. For other households, when there are 2 or more children in the 3rd grade of elementary school or below in the same household, the second child is half price and the third onward free.

The side-dish fee at public nurseries for ages 3 to 5 is ¥4,500 a month. The city covers the ¥600 difference from the national standard amount (¥5,100 in fiscal 2026) and says it will hold it at this level through fiscal 2026. The side-dish fee at private nurseries, certified early childhood centers and kindergartens is paid to each facility. Niihama City: About side-dish fees at public nurseries

Inquiries: Children’s Childcare Division 0897-65-1582

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5. Households exempt from the side-dish fee for ages 3 to 5

The side-dish fee for ages 3 to 5 is exempt under the national system for households with an annual income of about ¥3.6 million or less, and for the third child onward in all households. In the cities’ guidance, the income-based portion line is under ¥57,700 (under ¥77,101 for single-parent households and others, and for category-1 certified children at kindergartens and similar). Children and Families Agency: Overview of free early childhood education and care

How the third child is counted: Matsuyama counts up to preschool for nurseries and similar (category 2 and 3 certification) and up to the 3rd grade of elementary school for kindergartens and similar (category 1). Imabari counts from children before elementary school. Niihama counts the third child onward when there are 3 or more children in the 3rd grade or below in the same household. Niihama writes that there is no half-price reduction of the side-dish fee for a second child.

Niihama says it notifies households in writing through each facility about the side-dish fee exemption and subsidy systems.

6. What to know when comparing fees in Ehime

The 3 Ehime cities differ in the monthly cap for ages 0 to 2 and in the range of siblings counted. If you are moving, or the age gap with an older child changes the calculation, check the table of the city where you live.

The top amounts are ¥57,000 in Matsuyama, ¥58,000 in Imabari and ¥63,000 in Niihama (standard hours). The income-based portion at which the highest bracket starts also differs: ¥342,000, ¥301,000 and ¥397,000.
Families with an older child in elementary school: Niihama includes children up to the 3rd grade of elementary school in the count, and Imabari has a rule that counts siblings under 18. In Matsuyama, households with an income-based portion of ¥57,700 or more count only preschoolers attending at the same time, and there is a separate rule of “if 3 or more are under 18, the 3rd onward under age 3 is half price”.
School lunch fees: Niihama’s public nursery side-dish fee is ¥4,500 a month, with the city covering the difference from the national standard. In fiscal 2026 Matsuyama subsidizes nurseries for the rise in food costs.
Temporary childcare is a separate charge from childcare fees. At public nurseries in all 3 cities it is ¥1,500 a day, and the fees and how to book are in our guide to temporary childcare and Family Support in Ehime (Japanese).
Applications for entry in April 2027 are in our guide to nursery applications for April 2027 in Ehime (Japanese).

FAQ

If my child is in the 3-year-old class in Ehime, do I stop paying the childcare fee?

Yes, the childcare fee for ages 3 to 5 at licensed nurseries, certified early childhood centers and community-based childcare is free. You still pay the side-dish fee (side dishes and snacks), event fees and extended-care fees. Age is judged as of April 1, so a child who turns 3 partway through the school year stays on the 0-2 fee for that year (Matsuyama’s guidance).

In Matsuyama, if my older child is in elementary school, is my younger child counted as the second child?

For households with an income-based portion under ¥57,700, all ages are counted, so yes, the younger child is the second child. For other households, only preschool children using a nursery or similar at the same time are counted, so if the older child is in elementary school, the younger child pays the first-child amount. In households with 3 or more children under 18, the 3rd onward under age 3 is half price.

Do I need to apply for the free program if my child attends an unlicensed facility?

Yes. To receive free childcare for unlicensed facilities and kindergarten extended care, you need certification for “facility use benefits for child-rearing” before you start. Matsuyama does not certify retroactively from the application date. You pay the facility and then claim the cost back from the city.

Sources

12 pages we checked

Checked with official pages on October 27, 2026 (Japan time).

1. Fees and discounts in the 3 Ehime cities in one table

2. Ages 3 to 5 are free; kindergarten extended care and unlicensed facilities have monthly caps

3. Fees for ages 0 to 2 depend on city tax and change in September

4. Second- and third-child discounts and applications by city

Matsuyama: counts preschoolers attending at the same time; 3 or more children means half price under 3

Imabari: a rule that counts siblings under 18

Niihama: counts children in the 3rd grade or below; no age limit under ¥57,700

5. Households exempt from the side-dish fee for ages 3 to 5

6. What to know when comparing fees in Ehime

FAQ

If my child is in the 3-year-old class in Ehime, do I stop paying the childcare fee?

In Matsuyama, if my older child is in elementary school, is my younger child counted as the second child?

Do I need to apply for the free program if my child attends an unlicensed facility?

Sources

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