Presidents, prime ministers and politics of care - why Korea expanded childcare much more than Japan

Japan and South Korea 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. Korea has expanded care services much more rapidly than Japan. Korea today outperforms Japan and many other countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in enrolment rates of children up to the age of three in childcare. We develop an institutional model to explain why Korea responded to childcare needs much more drastically than Japan. We also apply the same model to explain why Korea prioritized childcare over elderly care, while Japan has done just the opposite.