Presidents, Prime Ministers and Politics of Care – Why Korea Expanded Childcare Much More than Japan

J apan and S outh K orea have been known as ‘familialistic’ welfare states, where the family was the main caregiver. Both countries are in the process of transformation. Today, their welfare states provide more care services than never before. K orea has expanded care services much more rapidly than J apan. K orea today outperforms J apan and many other countries of the Organisation for Economic C o‐operation and Development in enrolment rates of children up to the age of three in childcare. We develop an institutional model to explain why K orea responded to childcare needs much more drastically than J apan. We also apply the same model to explain why K orea prioritized childcare over elderly care, while J apan has done just the opposite.