THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 20, 2022 at 07:30 JST
A survey on “period poverty” by the health ministry found that 8 percent of women in Japan had experienced difficulties acquiring menstrual sanitary products due to financial reasons since the COVID-19 pandemic flared.
The ministry said that around 3,000 women aged 18 to 49 responded to the online survey conducted Feb. 3-6.
To the question of whether they had struggled to purchase or gain access to sanitary products since February 2020, when the public health crisis started, 8.1 percent of respondents said “Often” or “Sometimes.”
The percentage was greater among respondents aged 29 or under, or those whose household annual income is below 3 million yen ($24,000).
Many respondents cited the difficulty in getting hold of sanitary products due to “Small income (37.7 percent)” or “Not having enough money for myself (28.7 percent).”
Some local authorities provide sanitary products to residents for free.
However, 49.6 percent of respondents who have struggled to buy or gain access to sanitary products said they did not know whether their local authority had the same policy.
“We are keen to promote the free giveaway of sanitary products (by local authorities) as well as spread awareness that not using those products appropriately could ruin a person's health,” a ministry official said.
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A local authority in Noheji, Aomori Prefecture, provides menstrual sanitary products for free in a female toilet at a junior high school. (Ayaka Kibi)
