Overview
- The National Democratic Party filed the bill in the upper house on Tuesday to move 'inner secret birth' practice from guideline-based operation to a statutory framework.
- 'Inner secret birth' lets a mother register only with a hospital so her identity stays private while giving birth, and the bill seeks to define that practice in law.
- The draft requires the state to secure hospitals that will accept anonymous births, ease medical facilities' financial burdens, and expand counseling services for women seeking anonymity.
- Only two hospitals currently handle anonymous births—Kumamoto's Jikei Hospital and Tokyo's Sankyu-kai Hospital—and local officials and hospital leaders say long-term sustainability needs national management.
- A ruling-party project team is discussing public support measures but has not agreed on legislation, and the debate will hinge on how to store sensitive birth records and guarantee children’s future access to origin information.