Abstract: Family care is an important component of Japans elderly care system. The rapid aging of population, declining birth rates, and smaller family sizes have had an impact on Japans family care system. Japan has introduced a series of family elderly care support policies, mainly including establishing a care insurance system, developing socialized care services, promoting housing construction, and building a comprehensive support system. Japans family elderly care support policies balance caregivers and care receivers, balance the contradiction between employment and family care, combine general support with personalized support, and combine socialized care with family care. The formation of Japans family elderly care support policies is in response to the needs of aging, seniorization, and low birth rates,influenced by political structure and party system, which is conducive to alleviating government expenditure pressure during economic recession. In order to adapt to changes of family structure and family values, it reflects the cooperation and co governance of government, family, and society in the governance of an aging society. China should learn from Japans experience, establish a long-term care insurance system, develop community-based elderly care services, optimize housing support policies, take into account the needs of the elderly and family caregivers, and establish a comprehensive assistance system for family caregivers.

Key words: Japan, family elderly care, family care, family support, policy