This page is general information from official city and national pages. It does not decide whether your child can get a place. For your own case, ask the city office listed in each section.
A licensed nursery school (保育園, hoikuen) looks after babies and young children while their parents work or otherwise cannot care for them at home. In Japan each city runs its own intake, so the dates, forms and rules depend on where you live. This page compares four cities in Hiroshima Prefecture for a start in April 2027: Kure, Hiroshima, Fukuyama and Higashihiroshima.
You apply through the city where your family is registered as living (your 住民票, juminhyo, the address record you make at the city office after you move). The four city pages set conditions by address and by the family’s need for care, and they say nothing about nationality. If you are unsure whether your family qualifies, ask the city office.
In short
- Kure closes first: the first round runs Wednesday, October 21 to Wednesday, November 11, 2026, online.
- Hiroshima City: Tuesday, November 24, 2026 to Tuesday, January 12, 2027 at the ward office. Online applications close earlier, on Sunday, December 20.
- Higashihiroshima’s schedule table shows November 2 to 30, 2026 for April. Fukuyama has not published 2027 dates yet.
- Fees for children in the 3-to-5-year-old classes are free across Japan. Kure has also made fees free for ages 0 to 5 since October 2026. Food costs are usually extra.
- Places go by need, not by who applies first. Visit the nurseries you want before you apply.
Checked with official pages on October 12, 2026.
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1. When can I apply in each city?
Depends on the city
Kure’s first round closes on November 11, 2026, about two months before Hiroshima City’s January 12 deadline. If you are moving between cities, plan with the dates of the city you will live in.
| City | First round | How to apply | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kure | Oct 21 to Nov 11, 2026 | Online | Offer notice early Jan |
| Hiroshima | Nov 24, 2026 to Jan 12, 2027 (online to Dec 20) | Ward office or online | Mailed Feb 16 |
| Fukuyama | Not out yet (last year Dec 1 to 15) | First-choice nursery | In the 2027 guide |
| Higashihiroshima | Nov 2 to 30, 2026 (schedule table) | Online or city office | Mailed around the 10th |
Kure and Hiroshima City also have a second round for families who did not get a place, or who missed the first round. Their dates are in sections 2.1 and 2.2.
2. How does each city take applications?
Depends on the city
Kure says you must visit the nursery before you apply, and Hiroshima City asks you to visit with your child first. In Hiroshima, Fukuyama and Higashihiroshima you book a visit with each nursery directly, not through the city.
2.1 Kure City: first round closes November 11
Kure City
Kure takes April 2027 applications in three rounds. The first round is Wednesday, October 21 to Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and offer notices go out in early January 2027. The second round is Friday, January 8 to Monday, January 18, 2027. An extra April round runs Thursday, February 25 to Wednesday, March 10, with results around late March. Admission and certification notices for the first and second rounds arrive in early March.
You apply on the online application form on the city’s childcare site, Kure Kosodate Net. The form opens on October 21, and the list of open places is due on October 20. Paper forms are also handed out at each nursery. If your child has allergies or a concern about development, talk to the nursery before you apply. The city says a nursery may turn the child down at the interview if you did not.
Kindergartens and the kindergarten part of certified centers (1号, category 1) take applications directly, and you cannot apply for category 1 and nursery care (2号, category 2) at the same time. Applications for a nursery in another city (広域入所, koiki nyusho) cannot be made online. Nursery applications for April 2027 (Kure City, Kure Kosodate Net, Japanese)
Contact: Kure City Children’s Facilities Division, Childcare Certification Group (こども施設課 保育認定グループ), 0823-25-3144.
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2.2 Hiroshima City: ward office by January 12, online by December 20
Hiroshima City
Application forms are available from Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at each ward’s Welfare Division (区福祉課, ku fukushi-ka), branch offices and nurseries, and on the city’s page from the same day. The first round runs to Tuesday, January 12, 2027 at the ward office. Online applications through the national Mynaportal service (Pittari Service) close on Sunday, December 20, about three weeks earlier. First-round results are mailed on Tuesday, February 16.
The ward offices take applications on weekdays, 8:30 to 17:00. They stay open to 20:00 on Tuesday, December 22 and Tuesday, January 5, and open 9:30 to 16:00 on Sunday, December 13. The second round is Friday, February 19 to Friday, February 26 (online only February 19 to 21), with a late counter to 20:00 on Wednesday, February 24. Second-round results are mailed on Tuesday, March 9. You cannot apply in the second round if your first-round application got you a place.
- Visit the nurseries you want, with your child. Book each visit with the nursery.
- Get proof of your reason for childcare. For the first round, a work certificate (就労証明書, shuro shomeisho) must be dated October 1, 2026 or later.
- Apply at your ward’s Welfare Division or online. Keep copies of what you hand in. The city says your employer or the childcare leave benefit may need them.
- Wait for the letter. Results come by post to your registered address, whichever way you applied.
You can apply before you move to Hiroshima City if you will move in before the start date. Nursery admission guide (Hiroshima City, Japanese) and Online applications for nurseries (Hiroshima City, Japanese)
Contact: the Welfare Division of your ward office. Naka 082-504-2569, Higashi 082-568-7733, Minami 082-250-4131, Nishi 082-294-6342, Asaminami 082-831-4945, Asakita 082-819-0605, Aki 082-821-2813, Saeki 082-943-9732.
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2.3 Fukuyama City: apply at your first-choice nursery
Fukuyama City
In Fukuyama you hand in the application at your first-choice nursery. Forms are given out at the 158 nurseries, centers and small childcare facilities in the city, and branch offices do not take applications. If you cannot hand it in at the nursery, for example because you are moving to the city, you can post it to the city’s Childcare Facilities Division (保育施設課). It must arrive by the deadline.
As of October 12, 2026, the city’s page still shows the 2026 intake. Last year, forms were handed out from November 21, 2025, the first round ran December 1 to 15, the second round December 16 to January 14, and the third round February 27 to March 5. Each nursery set its own days within the first round. The city asks you to contact a nursery before you visit. Nursery applications, fiscal 2026 (Fukuyama City, Japanese)
Contact: Fukuyama City Childcare Facilities Division, Admissions (保育施設課 入所収納担当), 7th floor of the main city hall, 084-928-1047.
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2.4 Higashihiroshima City: online any time, or at the city office
Higashihiroshima City
Higashihiroshima’s schedule table for fiscal 2027 (令和9年度) lists April applications from Monday, November 2 to Monday, November 30, 2026, with certificates dated September 1, 2026 or later. The text on the same page says the April dates will be announced in the city newsletter and on social media, usually around October. Check the page again before you apply.
You can apply online at any time of day, including weekends, or at the Childcare Division (保育課) on the 2nd floor of the main city hall or a branch office (支所). Smaller sub-offices do not take applications. You cannot book a time at the counter. When you apply does not affect the result. You can list up to 10 choices, and listing more does not raise your chances, but listing few means fewer places the city can offer you. Visits are not required but the city recommends them. For a private certified center, you also hand the center its consent form (重要事項説明書). Results are mailed around the 10th of the month, and the city does not give results by phone. Nursery admission (Higashihiroshima City, Japanese)
Contact: Higashihiroshima City Childcare Division (保育課), 082-420-0934.
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3. What does nursery school cost?
Official rule (Japan)
Under the national free childcare program, fees for children in the 3-to-5-year-old classes at licensed nurseries are free, and so are fees for the 0-to-2-year-old classes in households exempt from residence tax. This is set by the Children and Families Agency. The “3-year-old class” means the school year that starts in the April after the child turns 3.
- Ages 0 to 2 in other households. The fee depends on the household and is set by each city. Hiroshima City says its fee is the same at every type of facility.
- Kure City. Kure says fees for ages 0 to 5 have been fully free since October 2026.
- Food. Hiroshima City lists food costs (主食費 and 副食費) as outside the free program. Each nursery tells you its amount.
- Extended hours. Hiroshima City charges extra for care beyond the standard hours.
Hiroshima City’s free childcare page has the details and the support for unlicensed facilities. Free early childhood education and care (Hiroshima City, Japanese)
4. How are places decided?
Depends on the city
Places are not first come, first served; the city ranks families by how much they need care. Hiroshima City and Higashihiroshima both say this on their pages.
Hiroshima City gives each parent a priority rank (優先度ランク). The household takes the lower of the two parents’ ranks, and higher-ranked households get places first. Ties go to the higher adjustment points (調整指数), then to a set order. The city publishes the rank table and worked household examples as PDFs, so you can check where your family falls. How places are decided (Hiroshima City, PDF, Japanese)
The minimum work time also differs. Hiroshima City and Fukuyama ask for at least 48 hours of work a month, and Higashihiroshima asks for at least 64 hours.
5. What else differs between the cities?
Depends on the city
Important
If you want a nursery in Kure but live in another city, you apply through your own city office, and your papers must reach Kure by January 18, 2027. Kure allows this only if a parent works in Kure or the mother gives birth while staying with family in Kure.
- Childcare leave. Higashihiroshima has ended the rule that took a child out of nursery while a parent is on childcare leave. Children enrolled on or after April 1, 2026 can stay if the family wishes.
- Leave benefit extensions. Fukuyama asks you to keep a copy of both sides of your application if you plan to extend the childcare leave benefit. It also says applying only to nurseries 30 minutes or more away may not count.
- Language. Hiroshima City’s page has a machine-translation menu, but the forms and guide PDFs are in Japanese. None of the four city pages says the counter can help in English.
Common questions
I missed Hiroshima City’s first round. Can I still apply? Yes. The second round, February 19 to 26, 2027, is open to families who missed the first round or did not apply in it.
Should I keep a copy of my application? Yes. Higashihiroshima does not return documents, and Hiroshima City says your employer or the childcare leave benefit may need copies.
Can I find out my result by phone? Not in Higashihiroshima. The city mails results and does not give them by phone. You can check at the counter with ID after the letters are sent.
What if I am still living outside Hiroshima City? You can apply if you will move in before the start date. If your address is not yet in the city on the mailing date, the result is sent after you report the move.
Next steps
- Put your city’s first-round deadline in your calendar, and book nursery visits now.
- Ask your employer for a work certificate dated after the date your city sets.
- If you are moving to Hiroshima City with children, see Moving to Hiroshima City with Children.
- For children who start elementary school, see After-School Clubs in Hiroshima for April 2027.
Sources (checked October 2026)
10 pages we checked
- Kure City: Nursery applications for April 2027 (Japanese)
- Hiroshima City: Nursery admission guide (Japanese)
- Hiroshima City: Online applications for nurseries (Japanese)
- Hiroshima City: How places are decided (PDF, Japanese)
- Hiroshima City: Free early childhood education and care (Japanese)
- Fukuyama City: Nursery applications, fiscal 2026 (Japanese)
- Fukuyama City: About nurseries (Japanese)
- Higashihiroshima City: Nursery admission (Japanese)
- Higashihiroshima City: Applications for fiscal 2026 (Japanese)
- Children and Families Agency: Free early childhood education and care (Japanese)
Dates and fees may change. Checked with official pages on October 12, 2026.
