The Japan Child Panel Survey (JCPS) is a parent-child panel survey that began in 2010
as a supplementary survey to the Japan Household Panel Survey (JHPS) and the Keio
Household Panel Survey (KHPS). The survey subjects chosen were those parents among
the JHPS or KHPS participants who had children enrolled in elementary or junior high
school, as well as those parents’ children. In 2012, JCPS conducted its third survey
(JCPS 2012) on children extracted from the households of JHPS participants. A total of
493 children participated in this survey. The cooperation rate per household was 57.5%.
The continuation rate from the first survey (JCPS 2010) was 70.3%. No difference was
observed among the mean academic ability test scores measured in the JCPS 2010,
2011, and 2012.. In comparison with data collected in the West, scores for children’s
behavioral problems measured in JCPS were higher. Prosocial scores were lower. In
addition, the tendency for children’s QOL to decline when they enrolled in higher grades
appeared more prominent in JCPS. The children’s inclinations to vote in the future were
correlated with their interest in political and social issues. The children’s ownership
rates for rooms, study desks, and mobile phones noted in the JCPS 2012 increased when
children enrolled in higher grades. Children’s current and time of birth heights and
weights were confirmed to be statistically representative in comparison with a large
public dataset. The incidence of obesity among elementary and junior high school
children was 1.4% calculated by BMI and 6.5% based on a calculation of standard
weights by heights. The performance of an analysis on the JCPS dataset in relation to
the rich household information collected by JHPS and KHPS will help us understand
the relationships that exist between children’s growth and their family backgrounds in
a detailed and dynamic manner. We also discuss problems inherent in JCPS.