Expert panel suggests Japan's government make childbirth free
The government should "design a specific system by around fiscal 2026 to make standard childbirth expenses free of charge,' according to a proposal adopted on Wednesday by an expert panel tasked with investigating how to ease the financial burden of giving birth.
Following the proposal, the health ministry will look into how to realize such a system, according to public broadcaster NHK. Officials at the ministry weren't immediately available for comment.
Childbirth isn't covered by national health insurance in Japan. The government gives a subsidy of up to ¥500,000 ($3,402) to women giving birth, but those outlays didn't cover the full cost in about 45% of cases, according to data collected from May 2023 to September 2024.
While the cost of giving birth can vary, it averaged about ¥518,000 in the first half of 2024, up from around ¥417,000 in 2012, the panel said, citing data provided by the health ministry.
The proposal follows a child care policy package adopted in 2023 to reverse Japan's declining birthrate by supporting families with young children and helping to boost their finances.
Births in Japan reached a record low in 2024, a worrying sign for the government as it tries to fund increasing social security costs for an aging population with a shrinking cohort of taxpayers and less tax revenue.
The number of newborns fell to 720,988 last year, reaching a historical low in records going back to 1899 and extending a nine-year streak of declines, according to the health ministry.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Japan Times
Over 10,000 people sent to hospital last week due to heatstroke
A total of 10,048 people were taken to hospital with heatstroke in Japan in the week through Sunday, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a preliminary report Tuesday. As temperatures soared nationwide, the weekly figure more than doubled that of a week earlier — which was 4,665 — and exceeded 10,000 for the first time since this year's records began on May 1. Of those hospitalized last week, 5,973 people, or around 60%, were age 65 or older. Eight people died. About 40% developed heatstroke at home or in other residential settings. The agency is calling on people to use their air conditioners and to hydrate frequently amid the summer heat.
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Weekly cases of whooping cough in Japan hit record high
Weekly cases of whooping cough have hit a record high in Japan. Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial disease characterized by severe, persistent coughing. It can be fatal, especially for infants up to six months old. The Japan Institute for Health Security says 3,353 cases were reported by medical institutions across the country in the week through June 29. The figure is up 142 from the previous week, and the highest since the current method of record keeping began in 2018. By prefecture, Tokyo had 234 cases, followed by 229 in Saitama, 163 in Kanagawa, 154 in Ibaraki and 140 in Niigata. The total number of cases in Japan this year stands at 39,672. There have been reports this season of infants dying or becoming seriously ill. Up to the end of June, four infants aged between less than one month and four months were confirmed dead in four prefectures. There are also reports of infections involving drug-resistant bacteria. The Japan Pediatric Society is calling on parents to immediately vaccinate infants who have turned two months old.
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Tick-borne infection cases surge in Japan
A research institute in Japan says the number of patients with a tick-borne viral infectious disease called Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, or SFTS, has hit a record high for this time of year. Patients with SFTS mostly get the infection through tick bites. The Japan Institute for Health Security, or JIHS, says 91 cases were reported in 24 prefectures from the start of this year through June 29. The figure exceeded the previous high of 82 cases reported in the same period in 2023. An NHK survey of local government offices found that at least nine deaths from SFTS were reported in Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Kagawa and Miyazaki Prefectures. Maeda Ken, a senior JIHS official, says a rise in the number of wild animals such as deer and wild boars may have increased the number of ticks that suck blood from the animals, possibly resulting in more SFTS cases. SFTS can be transmitted not only by tick bites but also from cats and dogs that develop the disease after being infected with the virus. The JIHS says the number of cats confirmed to be infected was eight in 2017, when a nationwide survey began, but the number rose sharply to 194 last year. This year, 36 cases were reported nationwide through March, and in May an infection of a pet cat was reported in Ibaraki Prefecture as the first case in the Kanto region. In Mie Prefecture, a veterinarian who treated a cat that developed SFTS became infected and died in May. Maeda says areas where cats have been confirmed to be infected are spreading, so caution is needed for infection from cats to humans. He says the blood and secretions of cats that have developed SFTS contain large amounts of the virus, so their owners and veterinarians need to be especially careful. Maeda says it is important that cat owners keep their pets indoors. He is also calling for the use of tick repellents for cats and dogs.
