Official data show Japan's nursery school waiting lists increased to 2,435 children as of April 1, up 181 from the prior year and marking the first rise in nine years. The increase was concentrated in urban areas, particularly Tokyo, which reported 1,113 children on lists after implementing free childcare for first-born children. National capacity stood at 3,016,417 slots against 2,646,756 users, while first-half births rose 0.8 percent to 342,068.