Photo/Illutration The confidential birth option allows women to give birth anonymously. (Kota Takeda)

To support women facing unwanted pregnancies, a Tokyo hospital has launched a confidential birth program, becoming the second medical facility in Japan to offer such a service.

Sanikukai Hospital in the capital’s Sumida Ward announced the initiative on March 31, allowing women to give birth while keeping their identity anonymous.

Under the program, only the hospital staff will know the woman’s identity and her name will not appear on the child’s birth registry.

“The program provides a crucial safety net for women facing challenges from unwanted pregnancies,” said hospital President Hitoshi Kato. “I believe there is a strong need for hospitals offering such services in Tokyo and the surrounding areas.”

Following confidential births at the hospital, the children will be placed under the care of the local child welfare office. Meanwhile, ward officials will create a birth registry with the parental section left blank.

The hospital will keep a record of the mother’s identity and the details of the birth to ensure the child’s right to access information about their origins.

These procedures will follow the guidelines on confidential births issued by the health and justice ministries in 2022.

Alongside its confidential birth program, the hospital will also introduce a “baby box” for parents who are unable to care for their newborns, allowing them to anonymously leave their child in the care of the hospital.

While some countries have established legislation supporting anonymous births, Japan lacks any public support or legal frameworks beyond the existing guidelines.

Between December 2021 and February this year, 43 children were born anonymously at Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto, the first hospital in the country to offer a confidential birth option.

The hospital and Kumamoto officials are urging the government to establish a legal framework for the practice to make it more sustainable and ensure the children’s right to know their origins.

Since its establishment in 1918, Sanikukai Hospital has had a long history of providing maternity care to local communities and offering free medical services to the underprivileged.

It currently operates as a general hospital and is recognized as a regional perinatal medical hub, handling around 700 deliveries annually.

Since July, the hospital has been providing anonymous pregnancy counseling to women facing the risk of unassisted births due to poverty or other personal hardships.

(This article was written by Kaede Sano and Satoko Onuki.)

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