Application deadlines for April nursery entry
- First-round deadlines are November 30 for Kurume, December 9 for Kagoshima, December 10 for Nagasaki and December 15 for Oita.
- Kitakyushu City accepts first-round nursery applications until late January 2027.
- All 6 cities assign places by points based on parents' working hours and family circumstances, not first come, first served.
Dates and rules can change. For your own case, ask your city’s nursery office.
In Japan, a “hoikuen” is a licensed nursery school for children whose parents work or cannot look after them during the day. Places are not first come, first served. Each city scores your family’s situation and decides in order of score. If you want your child in a nursery from April 2027 in a major Kyushu city, the first thing to check is your city’s first-round deadline. The remaining deadlines are Kurume on November 30, Kagoshima on December 9, Nagasaki on December 10 and Oita on December 15. Kitakyushu accepts applications until late January 2027. Kumamoto’s first round closed on October 21, and its second round starts on January 5, 2027.
In short
- First-round deadlines: Kurume Nov 30, Kagoshima Dec 9, Nagasaki Dec 10, Oita Dec 15, Kitakyushu late January 2027.
- Kumamoto City: the first round is over. The second round is Jan 5–18, 2027 (post and online until Jan 11).
- Places are decided by points, not by the order of applications, in all 6 cities.
- Minimum work hours to qualify: 52 hours and 13 days a month (Kumamoto), 60 (Kitakyushu, Kagoshima) or 64 (Kurume, Nagasaki, Oita).
Checked with official pages on October 27, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours may change.
This page covers 6 cities: the application period, how to submit, when results arrive, how the points work, documents such as the employment certificate, and the rules for visits. Fukuoka City and Itoshima City have their own detailed articles.
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1. First-round application and result dates in the 6 cities
Even among Kyushu cities, the first-round deadlines are more than 3 months apart. Kagoshima and Oita have also announced their schedules for entry in April 2027.
| City | First-round applications | How to submit | Result notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumamoto | First round ended Oct 21. Second round Jan 5–18 (post and online until Jan 11) | Nursery, ward office, post, online | Second round: by post in late February |
| Kurume | Online is open. Counter from Nov 2. Until Nov 30 | Child Care Division, branch offices, online | By post in early February |
| Nagasaki | Nov 2 – Dec 10 | Early Childhood Division, community centers, post | Sent from Feb 19 |
| Kitakyushu | Nov 2 – late January 2027 | Ward offices, online | Offers around late February to early March |
| Kagoshima | Nov 2 – Dec 9 (period 1) | City counters, nurseries, post, online | Late January |
| Oita | Nov 16 – Dec 15 (excluding weekends and holidays) | Nursery Admissions Division, nurseries and others, online | By post by mid-February |
The dates run from November 2026 to March 2027. Every city has a second round for people who were not placed in the first round or who missed it.
Fukuoka City takes applications at the child-rearing support section of each ward, and the schedule and steps are in the Fukuoka City nursery application article (Japanese). Itoshima City uses monthly deadlines rather than one autumn round, and needs a visit certificate for your first-choice nursery (Itoshima City nursery application article, Japanese).
2. Applications and how to submit, city by city
Kumamoto, Kurume and Kagoshima ask you to visit your preferred nurseries with your child before you apply. Contact the nursery directly to arrange a visit.
Kumamoto City: the first round closed Oct 21; the second round starts Jan 5, 2027
Kumamoto City’s first round for April entry ran from October 1 to October 21, 2026 (October 14 for post and online), and has closed. First-round results are due to be posted in late December 2026.
If you did not apply in the first round, apply in the second round. The second round starts on Tuesday, January 5, 2027. The counter closes on Monday, January 18, and post and online (My Number portal “Myna Portal”) on Monday, January 11. Posted forms must arrive by the deadline, and online applications close at 23:59 on the deadline. Counters are at your first-choice nursery or the Health and Children Section of each ward office. Results are posted in late February. Vacancy information for the second round is due to be published on Wednesday, December 23, 2026.
Employment certificates and other documents must be dated within 3 months of the application date. Write handwritten forms in ink that does not erase, and forms corrected with correction tape are not accepted. The childcare certification (certificate of eligibility) arrives by post by the end of March 2027 for April entry. (Kumamoto City, nursery admission for fiscal 2027, admission requests page, Japanese)
Inquiries: the Health and Children Section of each ward office. Chuo 096-328-2421, Higashi 096-367-9130, Nishi 096-329-6838, Minami 096-357-4135, Kita 096-272-1104.
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Kurume City: first round until Nov 30; online has been open since Oct 19
Kurume City’s first round started online on Monday, October 19, 2026, and the counter opened on Monday, November 2. Both close at 17:15 on Monday, November 30. The city says most places are decided in the first round and urges applicants to submit by the first-round deadline. First-round results are posted in early February 2027.
The second (final) round starts on Monday, December 14. Online closes on Sunday, January 31 and the counter at 17:15 on Monday, February 15. Results are posted in early March, and vacancy information is published in early February after the first-round adjustment. Counters are the Child Care Division on the 16th floor of City Hall and the Citizens’ Welfare Sections of the Tanushimaru, Kitano, Jojima and Mizuma branch offices. Citizen centers do not accept applications. For people who cannot come on weekdays, the Child Care Division takes applications on Sunday, November 29 from 9:00 to 12:30.
An interview takes place at the counter at the same time as the application. Children who will be in the 2-year-old class or older on April 1 of the entry year come along. Children in the 0- and 1-year-old classes do not need an interview (except in cases such as a point raised at a health checkup). You can list as many preferred nurseries as you like. (Kurume City, documents for nursery use, guide for fiscal 2027, PDF, Japanese)
Inquiries: Kurume City Child Care Division 0942-30-9025.
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Nagasaki City: first round Dec 10, second round until Feb 10
Nagasaki City’s first-round applications for April entry run from Monday, November 2 to Thursday, December 10, 2026. The second round runs from Friday, December 11 to Wednesday, February 10, 2027, and after it closes, first-round applications are placed first. Notices are due to be sent from Friday, February 19 for the first round and from Friday, March 12 for the second. In the first round, places are adjusted in order of priority and notices go out to decided applicants first. Those who did not get a place in the first round are adjusted again in the second round.
Submit to the Early Childhood Division of the Children’s Department on the 2nd floor of City Hall or to a community center, or by post (must arrive by the deadline). If you submit through a nursery or an accredited early childhood center, do not write your My Number on the form. Write it on the special sheet and seal it. You also submit a “health status survey form” for allergies and concerns, and if it is incomplete, the decision may be put on hold. (Nagasaki City, procedures, fiscal 2027 deadlines, PDF, Japanese)
Inquiries: Nagasaki City Early Childhood Division 095-829-1142.
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Kitakyushu City: first round from Nov 2 to late January 2027
Kitakyushu City’s first selection for April entry takes applications from Monday, November 2, 2026 to late January 2027. The second selection takes applications from after the first deadline to early March. Offers come around late February to early March for the first selection and around mid-March for the second. The application deadline time is 17:15, or 19:00 if the deadline day is a ward office extended-hours day.
Apply to the Child and Family Consultation Section of the Health and Welfare Division at your ward office, or online. Online is for new applications only, and one application covers one child. Attach the required documents as PDFs or photos. (Kitakyushu City, guide to nursery use, online application, Japanese)
Inquiries: the Health and Welfare Division of each ward office. Moji 093-331-1891, Kokurakita 093-582-3434, Kokuraminami 093-951-1032, Wakamatsu 093-761-5926, Yahatahigashi 093-671-6882, Yahatanishi 093-642-1448, Tobata 093-881-9126.
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Kagoshima City: period 1 from Nov 2 to Dec 9
Kagoshima City’s April 2027 entry has 3 periods: period 1 from Monday, November 2 to Wednesday, December 9, 2026, period 2 from Thursday, December 10 to Friday, January 29, 2027, and period 3 from Monday, February 1 to Tuesday, March 2. Results are sent in late January for period 1, late February for period 2 and mid-March for period 3.
The forms have changed, so use the ones posted on the city’s site on October 19, 2026 or the new forms handed out at the counter from November 2. Employment certificates and medical certificates are accepted only if dated on or after October 19, 2026.
Applications are taken at the city’s Nursery and Kindergarten Division, the Taniyama Child Rearing Support Division, the welfare and health-and-welfare sections, and each nursery. You can also post them (must arrive by the deadline) or apply online through the My Number portal until 23:59 on the last day. Within the same period, the order of applying makes no difference (applying on November 2 or December 9 is treated the same in period 1). If you live outside the city and want a Kagoshima nursery, apply to the municipality where you live, and it is treated as period 2 or later. (Kagoshima City, how to apply, online application, Japanese)
Inquiries: Kagoshima City Nursery and Kindergarten Division 099-216-1258.
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Oita City: first round Nov 16 to Dec 15
Oita City’s first selection for April 2027 takes applications from Monday, November 16 to Tuesday, December 15, 2026 (excluding weekends and holidays). Application forms are handed out from Monday, November 2, and the application guide is to be published later. First-round results are sent by post by around mid-February. Applications after the period are handled in the second selection, after the first-round results are sent. The second deadline is usually around mid-February and changes each year with the timing of the first-round results.
Forms are handed out and accepted at the Nursery Admissions Division of City Hall (3rd floor of the Annex), the Eastern and Western Health and Welfare Centers, the branch offices (except Tsurusaki and Wasada) and licensed nurseries and accredited early childhood centers in the city. You can also apply online. Originals of submitted documents are not returned, so make a copy of the application form first if you need it to extend childcare leave benefits. (Oita City, using nurseries, first selection for April 1, 2027, Japanese)
Inquiries: Oita City Nursery Admissions Division 097-537-5794.
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3. How the points work: not first come, first served in any city
In all 6 cities, places are decided in order of points, based on the parents’ working hours and the family’s situation, not the order of applications. Check the criteria table each city publishes to see how many points your family gets.
- Kumamoto: the application and documents are scored under the city’s admission criteria, and places go to those with the highest score. The application date and order do not matter.
- Kurume: the application is scored under the “nursery use selection criteria”. If you submit documents for a change in work (for example, from job seeking to employed) by the deadline, the points may change.
- Kagoshima: the score is basic points plus adjustment points, and ties are decided by the “tie-break table”. The points table is in each year’s application guide.
- Kitakyushu and Oita: Kitakyushu uses its “use adjustment criteria table” and Oita its “nursery admission selection criteria”. As of October 2026, Kitakyushu’s page shows the fiscal 2026 version of the table.
- Nagasaki: people with a higher need for childcare under the city’s criteria come first, and the situation of each nursery is also considered.
Kitakyushu has a form, “request regarding admission selection order”, for people who can extend their childcare leave even if they are not placed and who accept being adjusted at a lower priority. If a place is open at your preferred nursery, you will still get an offer even with this request. (Kitakyushu City, fiscal 2026 criteria table, PDF, Oita City, admission criteria and priority, Japanese)
4. Employment certificates and minimum work hours
The minimum work hours to use a nursery differ by city: 52 hours and 13 days or more a month in Kumamoto, 60 hours or more in Kitakyushu and Kagoshima, and 64 hours or more in Kurume, Nagasaki and Oita. Your employer fills in the employment certificate, so ask early enough to meet the deadline.
| City | Minimum work | Certificate form and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kumamoto | 52 hours and 13 days a month | Employment certificate (B). Dated within 3 months of the application date |
| Kurume | 64 hours a month | Submit on the fiscal 2027 forms |
| Nagasaki | 64 hours a month | National standard form. Also submit the health status survey form |
| Kitakyushu | 60 hours a month | Employment certificate and childcare-requirement statement, for every guardian |
| Kagoshima | 60 hours a month | City form (dated on or after October 19, 2026) |
| Oita | 64 hours a month | City form (check the application guide) |
Kurume City says that at some companies an employment certificate takes time to issue and may miss the deadline, and advises applying early. Kitakyushu City says it cannot copy application forms at the counter and does not return submitted documents. A copy of the application form is needed to extend childcare leave benefits, so make your own copy before you submit in any city.
Address: Kumamoto, Kurume, Nagasaki, Kitakyushu, Kagoshima and Oita city offices · Google Maps
FAQ
What if I miss the first round?
Every city has a second round. Kagoshima’s period 2 starts on December 10, 2026, Nagasaki’s on December 11, Kurume’s on December 14 and Kumamoto’s on January 5, 2027. Note that in Kurume most places are decided in the first round, and Nagasaki also places first-round applications first.
Can I apply before I move to the city?
Kurume, Kitakyushu, Kagoshima and Oita guide people who plan to move in. Kurume asks people without a resident record in the city at the time of application for a “move-in pledge”, and Kitakyushu has a statement form for people planning to move in. In Kagoshima, you can apply directly if you plan to move in by the start date of use. In Oita, the place is cancelled if you have not moved your resident registration by the 1st of the entry month. For other cities, ask the city counter before you move.
How many preferred nurseries should I list?
Kurume lets you list as many as you like, and says listing several makes it more likely you get a place. It asks you to list only nurseries you would actually attend. Nagasaki also advises considering several nurseries, since a place may not be available.
For your own documents and selection outlook, ask the ward offices in Kumamoto and Kitakyushu, the Child Care Division in Kurume, the Early Childhood Division in Nagasaki, the Nursery and Kindergarten Division in Kagoshima and the Nursery Admissions Division in Oita.
Sources
15 pages we checked
- Kumamoto City, nursery admission for fiscal 2027
- admission requests page
- Kurume City, documents for nursery use
- guide for fiscal 2027, PDF
- Nagasaki City, procedures
- fiscal 2027 deadlines, PDF
- Kitakyushu City, guide to nursery use
- online application
- Kagoshima City, how to apply
- online application
- Oita City, using nurseries
- first selection for April 1, 2027
- Kitakyushu City, fiscal 2026 criteria table, PDF
- Oita City, admission criteria and priority
- Japanese version of this page (日本語版)
Checked with official pages on October 27, 2026 (Japan time).
