This Nov. 12, 2020 file photo shows the Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district where most of the government offices are located. (Mainichi/Yoshinori Matsuda)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A new Japanese government agency to oversee policies related to children is expected to be named "children and families agency," reflecting conservative lawmakers' call for inclusion of support for parents, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

       The planned organization, so far tentatively called "children's agency," will unify policies across multiple government ministries and entities to better deal with increasingly complex issues faced by children such as child poverty and abuse.

       Those cherishing traditional family values in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party claim that support for parents is also necessary to address issues concerning children.

       But some people are uncomfortable with the inclusion of the word "families" in the agency's name as some children have suffered abuse at the hands of their parents.

       The government, which will present a draft basic policy for the agency at an LDP meeting Wednesday, is aiming for a Cabinet decision to be made by the end of the year. A bill for the establishment of the agency is expected to be submitted to the ordinary Diet session next year, with its launch envisioned for fiscal 2023.

       Some LDP members proposed the creation of an agency for children to then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in April.

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