Â鶹´«Ã½

Tag - pregnancy

 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
 
August 11, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

PREGNANCY

Tokyo¡¯s metropolitan government offers subsidies of up to ?100,000 for epidural childbirth at designated medical institutions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2026
Tokyo¡¯s subsidies for pain relief during childbirth see strong demand
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government received 12,059 applications in the six months through March for its subsidy program ¡ª well above its projection of about 9,500.
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 3, 2026
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Seven of the babies were born under conditions of confidentiality, with only a few hospital workers knowing their mothers¡¯ identities.
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
LGBTQ+ people in Japan face such limited fertility treatment options, they could ultimately be deprived of the right to safely start a family.
Yudai Togitani speaks to reporters in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, on Thursday after a ruling was handed down on a woman who killed his wife and left his child disabled in a car accident.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 18, 2026
Driver jailed for killing pregnant woman, leaving unborn child with disability
Prosecutors had difficulty interpreting the existing law to regard a fetus as a victim independent from the mother.
The Kyoto District Court in the city of Kyoto heard a complaint Wednesday from a man who says his estranged wife presented someone else's sperm as his and was able to undergo successful fertility treatment using it without his awareness.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 4, 2026
Man sues hospital after wife gives birth using someone else¡¯s sperm
The woman was sentenced in April 2025 for forging the man¡¯s consent form, but the hospital said it gave adequate explanation and that the man¡¯s claims are incorrect.
Expectant mothers who were exposed to severe heat during their 19th week of pregnancy faced a 16% higher risk of preterm birth than those who were not, a study found.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 4, 2026
Extreme heat raises risk of preterm births, research shows
Findings indicate that women are particularly susceptible to the effects of heat between the 16th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy.
Asako Mito, head of the preconception care center at the National Center for Child Health and Development, said the number of high-risk pregnancies and childbirths due to such factors as advanced age, being underweight or obesity is increasing in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2026
Japan promotes preconception care amid falling birthrates
Preconception care, an initiative aimed at encouraging people to acquire knowledge on pregnancy and childbirth, has been part of government policy since 2018.
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
More pregnant women in Japan undergo prenatal checkups
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
Health minister Kenichiro Ueno at an Upper House plenary session following the passage of a bill to reform the nation's health care insurance system
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 29, 2026
Japan passes bill to raise co-payments for prescription drugs similar to OTC counterparts
The health ministry plans to require individuals to bear additional costs for some 1,100 over-the-counter-like prescription drugs starting in March 2027.
Following approval by the health ministry, Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare's Norlevo went on sale at drugstores on Feb. 2, becoming the first emergency contraception available over the counter in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
May 2, 2026
High costs and lack of privacy slow uptake of OTC emergency contraceptives
Having to receive explanations about the pill from pharmacists and take it in front of them poses significant hurdles for buyers seeking anonymity.
Izumisano Mayor Hiroyasu Chiyomatsu inspects the baby hatch at Jikei Hospital in the city of Kumamoto on Feb. 10.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2026
City in Osaka Prefecture seeks early launch of its own ¡®baby hatch¡¯ system
The city of Izumisano¡¯s initiative reflects Mayor Hiroyasu Chiyomatsu¡¯s strong belief that the city must serve as ¡°a stronghold for protecting lives.¡±
Experts are warning that some common claims about birth control pills' side effects represent misinformation ¡ª and that methods based on tracking fertility require strict adherence to be effective.
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 25, 2026
¡®Natural¡¯ birth control risks unwanted pregnancy, experts warn
Helping drive this trend are influencers, who often promote natural birth control as a way for women to ¡°liberate¡± themselves from the hormonal effects of the pill.
Many mothers have difficulty preparing child care products for their babies as they cannot work as much as they want due to pregnancy or childbirth.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 24, 2026
Half of disadvantaged mothers in Japan lack child care products, survey finds
When asked about concerns, 88% of respondents said they could not work as much as they wanted to due to pregnancy or childbirth.
Kie Kanda (center), a Japan International Cooperation Agency official, shows a maternal and child health handbook in the Mustang district in Nepal last October.¡¡
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Japan-backed group to distribute maternal handbooks in Nepal
The Japan International Cooperation Agency hopes to encourage continuous care and reduce the death rates of mothers and children in Nepal.
Masako Sugami holds a coffin made for stillborn babies, in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 20, 2026
Mie nurse aims to provide coffins to grieving mothers of stillborn babies
¡°Even if their lives were short, their existence has value,¡± the 66-year-old nurse said of the children, who normally are given to parents in paper boxes.
From Wednesday, vaccines to prevent respiratory syncytial virus will be administered to women in their 28th to 36th weeks of pregnancy in Japan to protect their unborn children from the virus.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2026
Japan to begin RSV vaccinations during pregnancy to protect infants
The vaccine will be administered to women in their 28th to 36th weeks of pregnancy to immunize their babies, with costs primarily covered by public funds.
When reducing?labor pain with epidural anesthetic and other drugs, the method of continuously administering drugs was commonly adopted in the past.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 26, 2026
Babies¡¯ health not affected by epidurals, study says
The results offer the choice of ¡°painless delivery with peace of mind,¡± the doctor leading the study said.
Japan is moving to make child deliveries free of charge in an effort to tackle the declining birth rate.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 13, 2026
Japan moves to cover full cost of child delivery with public health insurance
The measure, aimed at tackling the nation¡¯s declining birth rate, was approved in a Cabinet meeting on Friday, with implementation eyed by fiscal 2028.
Lesoeru 72, which is priced at ?6,930 per tablet, must be taken within 72 hours of intercourse.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 10, 2026
Second morning-after pill now available over the counter in Japan
Lesoeru 72, which went on sale on Monday, joins NorLevo as the country¡¯s only two emergency contraceptive medications that do not need a doctor¡¯s prescription.
More than 60% of single men and women don't want to have children amid concerns over the economic burden of child-rearing, a survey showed.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 6, 2026
Over 60% of Â鶹´«Ã½ unmarried young people do not want children, survey says
Rohto Pharmaceutical polled online 400 unmarried men and women between ages 18 and 29 as part of its annual survey on pregnancy and family planning.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER