Is Abortion Legal in Japan? Curiosities and Facts

Many people question whether abortion in Japan is allowed or legal. In this article, we will understand in which situations it is allowed to carry out a voluntary termination of pregnancy in Japan, in addition to numerous curiosities. 

Abortion (中絶 – Chūzetsu) in Japan has been legal since 1948. Fortunately, Japan has a very low rate of unwanted pregnancy. Religious or moral discussions around legalizing abortion are not common, the government's only concern is that it helps to lower the Japanese birthrate which is a big problem.

Japan only allows abortion with the mother's consent and if it is for a valid reason. Anyone who tries to carry out the procedure without the mother's consent, or uses clandestine and unauthorized methods, can be punished and arrested.

The History of Abortion in Japan

Japan has a long history of abortion, it was banned for a long time from 1842 to 1923. After this year doctors were allowed to perform abortion in emergency cases where the mother's life was at risk. After World War II, Japan suffered from food shortages and ended up legalizing abortion.

Currently, abortion is widely accepted by over 70% of the population in Japan, this does not mean that they agree to have an abortion, they just have no problem with the law that allows abortion and think it is the family's option to decide such an act.

Another major factor is that the Japanese do not have the habit of meddling in the lives and decisions of others; they consider it disrespectful and impolite to go against someone else's opinion.

It is worth remembering that the practice of abortion is something that has been happening for many centuries all over the world. In the past, absurd methods were used, such as kicking the mother's belly, exposing the pregnant woman to intense cold and others.

There were several bizarre cases of abortion and baby murders that made the government decide to legalize abortion, one of them was a midwife who ended up killing hundreds of newborn babies, with the false argument of being concerned about the condition of families in raising babies. .

Facts about the aborto in Japan

Aborto sem motivo is not allowed in Japan!

Another thing that many end up confusing is that Japan does not allow abortion for any reason. Abortion in Japan is only available to women in limited circumstances, with compromised health or economic hardship.

However, licensed physicians who supervise and perform the abortion often ignore these rules. Therefore, any woman can use a simple pretext to abort without having problems with the law.

Under Japanese law, you can have an abortion if:

  • The pregnancy was a result of rape;
  • She is not financially able to support her child;
  • It can compromise the mother's health;
  • It can harm the mother's mental or psychic health;
  • You are not mentally fit to take care of a child;
Facts about the aborto in Japan

Information on abortion in Japan

The numbers show that doctors and families are not honest about the problems with performing the procedure. About 250,000 abortions take place in Japan each year, it's impossible for that number to be mothers with problems. 

It is believed that out of every 1,000 pregnant women in Japan, 40 abortam. It is worth noting that the numbers are never exact, as doctors end up hiding these numbers to avoid paying taxes or aborting for no valid reason.

Japan has the lowest teen pregnancy rate in the world. Only 4 out of 1,000 pregnancies are to girls under the age of 19. Of the abortions that take place in Japan, only 8% belong to young people under the age of 20. One of the things that end up leading teenagers to commit abortion is discrimination against pregnant women.

Facts about the aborto in Japan

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facts about abortion

You've probably heard about Kokeshi, which are wooden dolls that are popular as decorations and souvenirs. These dolls were originally used by families who had an abortion (natural or induced). They were placed in the house to represent the unborn child and thus try to repair the harm they had done.

In Japan there are also many temples dedicated to “mizuko” which means “water children”, but one of the explanations for the etymological origin of this word is that using other kanji but keeping the same reading, this word can mean “unseen children”. (because they were not born).

Many women who have had abortions go to these temples to pray for the souls of their aborted children, as a way of asking for forgiveness and making amends. when i was traveling to japan, I found this in the temple next to Tokyo Tower.

Facts about the aborto in Japan

My conclusion on the matter

I was very relieved to learn that under the law abortion for any reason is prohibited, it is a pity that this rule is not fully enforced and many abortions are committed for futile reasons.

The truth is that abortion in Japan is a very sensitive subject and I unfortunately did not have time to address even half of the subject. Although Japan allows abortion, it is curious to mention that even in countries where abortion is prohibited, it happens in huge numbers clandestinely. 

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