The purpose of this Act is to swiftly and thoroughly promote measures to support raising next-generation children by establishing fundamental principles and clarifying the responsibilities of the national government, local governments, employers, and the people regarding the measures to support raising the next-generation children, as well as by establishing guidelines for the formulation of action plans, action plans of local governments and employers, and other matters necessary for promoting the measures to support raising the next-generation children, considering the rapid decline in the birth rate in Japan and changes in the environment surrounding families and local communities, thereby contributing to the formation of a society in which the children who are to build a society of the next generation will be born and raised in good health.
この法律は、我が国における急速な少子化の進行並びに家庭及び地域を取り巻く環境の変化にかんがみ、次世代育成支援対策に関し、基本理念を定め、並びに国、地方公共団体、事業主及び国民の責務を明らかにするとともに、行動計画策定指針並びに地方公共団体及び事業主の行動計画の策定その他の次世代育成支援対策を推進するために必要な事項を定めることにより、次世代育成支援対策を迅速かつ重点的に推進し、もって次代の社会を担う子どもが健やかに生まれ、かつ、育成される社会の形成に資することを目的とする。