「保育園落ちた…」子育て支援の町・南幌町で待機児童が急増！働きに行けない親たちの悲痛の声。今、何が起きているのか？徹底調査です・・・もんすけ調査隊（HBC今日ドキッ！2026年3月26日 放送）

Approximately 45 minutes by car from Sapporo. Nanporo Town in Sorachi, with a population of about 8,000, is attracting attention as one of the most dynamic towns in Hokkaido, thanks to its comprehensive childcare support. Its population growth rate in 2023 was the highest among all towns and villages nationwide. However, behind these numbers, a heartfelt voice was heard. Client (Ms. A, in her 30s, resident of Nanporo Town): "While the population of Nanporo Town is increasing, there is a huge number of children on the waiting list for childcare starting in fiscal year 2026." What is happening in the town now? Investigator: "We found it! New houses are being built everywhere!" The reason for the rapid population increase is the exceptional treatment the town has offered to new residents. The land price for designated plots has been effectively halved, and subsidies of up to 2 million yen are provided for newly built homes. Thanks to this bold system, more than 700 people have moved to the town since fiscal year 2021, covering 384 plots. However, what A-ko, who had moved there dreaming of a fulfilling life, faced was… Client (A-ko, 30s, resident of Nanporo) "The town's website says there are 20 children on the waiting list for childcare, but at the time of application, there were 62 children on the waiting list. I can't work if I can't get my child into daycare, so I'm in a difficult situation." A-ko had decided to return to full-time work this spring. Naturally, she assumed she would be able to enroll her child in a local daycare center. However, she received an unexpected "pending" notice. Client (A-ko, 30s, resident of Nanporo) "I thought it must be a mistaken notice, and I couldn't believe it, so I immediately went to the town office and asked, 'Is this a mistake?' and they said, 'There's no mistake.'" With her child unable to get into a local daycare center, A-ko had to frantically search for a daycare center outside of town. However, what hurt A-ko the most was having her child's normal life taken away from her. Client (Ms. A, 30s, resident of Nanporo) "Most importantly, more than my own return to work, my child said she wanted to attend a kindergarten in Nanporo, and it's incredibly painful that I can't fulfill that wish..." The frustration of not being able to fulfill even a small wish, like wanting to play with local friends, is evident in her words. Moreover, this serious problem wasn't limited to Ms. A's family. Client (Ms. A, 30s, resident of Nanporo) "I've heard of families where children wanted to work part-time but couldn't, or where their return to work was postponed, or where children wanted to attend vocational school but couldn't find childcare, so they paid the enrollment fees but ultimately couldn't attend." Furthermore, in town... Nanporo resident "I was told that kindergartens are overflowing and they can't promise that my child will get in." "My older child couldn't get into kindergarten, so we moved here, but in the end, they couldn't get in and are now attending a kindergarten in Kitahiroshima." A situation far more serious than anticipated. What was the local government doing? We investigated Nanporo Town. Tomoyo Tanifuji, Head of Health and Welfare Division, Nanporo Town "First of all, it's a fact that there are children on waiting lists for daycare. There are 36 children on waiting lists, and about 10 more have applications pending for wider-area admission." Last year, the total number of children on waiting lists across 11 municipalities in Hokkaido was 34. While most municipalities had zero children on waiting lists, Nanporo Town alone saw a dramatic increase from 7 children last year to 36. This can be described as an abnormal situation. Tomoyo Tanifuji, Head of Health and Welfare Division, Nanporo Town "In Nanporo Town, the population has increased rapidly since around spring 2022, particularly the childcare area." The number of preschool children has nearly doubled in just a few years. Of course, the town wasn't completely inactive. To address the biggest challenge, the "shortage of childcare workers," the town prepared exceptional treatment using its own budget. Tomoyo Tanifuji, Head of the Health and Welfare Division, Nanporo Town "We provide a monthly allowance of 20,000 yen for residents of the town, and 10,000 yen for those residing outside the town." In addition to employment bonuses, this allowance is added to monthly salaries. This strong support measure has helped secure childcare workers, and more than doubled the capacity for accepting new children over the past five years. So why hasn't the waiting list for childcare been resolved? Tomoyo Tanifuji, Head of the Health and Welfare Division, Nanporo Town "We had hoped that the waiting list would be resolved from April of this year, but the construction period was extended due to labor shortages in the construction industry..." The town had invested over 500 million yen in the co...