Photo/Illutration Takeshi Hasuda, head of Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto city, speaks about the second case of a confidential birth at a news conference in the city on May 11. (Rina Horikoshi)

KUMAMOTO--Jikei Hospital here announced on May 11 that it had overseen Japan’s second confidential birth, which allows a baby to be registered without disclosing the mother's name. 

A woman who resides outside Kumamoto Prefecture gave birth anonymously in April. The baby is in the hospital’s care.

“A confidential birth is a grave task for us, but we prevented the baby from being killed or abandoned,” said Takeshi Hasuda, head of the hospital, at a May 11 news conference.

The confidential birth system allows a woman who becomes unexpectedly pregnant to give birth by revealing her identity only to one hospital staff member. This allows the child to someday learn the identity of their mother, if they so desire.

The hospital introduced the system in 2019.

A teenage girl who lived outside Kumamoto Prefecture used the system when she gave birth in December, becoming Japan’s first case of a confidential birth.

Hasuda told the news conference that the woman emailed the hospital during the second half of last year saying, “I cannot rely on nor speak to anyone about this pregnancy. I’m determined to protect my baby.”

She chose to use the confidential birth system and gave birth in April.

The woman revealed her identity only to the head of the office for consultations about newborns at the hospital when she was released from it. She also left with the hospital a photocopy of her ID, a document for a special adoption, and a letter to her baby.

She left a comment to be read at the news conference stating, “If it were not for Jikei Hospital, I would have died together with the baby before giving birth.”

Hospitals normally submit a birth report to the local government office, where the office then adds the baby's name to a family register. The register is essential for a host of administrative procedures in daily life in Japan, such as attending school, marriage and divorce.

Japan has no legal provisions for confidential births. 

Leaving the mother's name blank on the birth notification may mean the local office cannot accept the notification, which can create problems for the child in the future. There is also a question of its legality. 

However, the Kumamoto city government decided to allow Jikei Hospital to proceed with its confidential birth system in February after the first use of its new system arose. 

Related News