Japan has witnessed an independent effort at the municipal level to implement child rights ordinances and 44 municipalities in the country are working with child-friendly approaches. These efforts have taken a very bottom-up approach, with municipalities calling for increased involvement and UNICEF guidance from the UNICEF Japan National Committee. A Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) working group has been established by the National Committee and is in the process of taking over leadership of the initiative and mainstreaming the model.

The Initiative will be piloted in four municipalities in 2018 or early 2019. The pilots will test the effectiveness of the UNICEF CFCI building blocks and the checklists in realizing children’s rights by the local governments.