Expert panel suggests Japan’s government make childbirth free

Expert panel suggests Japan’s government make childbirth free

The proposal follows a child care policy package adopted in 2023 to reverse Japan’s declining birthrate by supporting families with young children.

Japan set to fully cover childbirth costs possibly from April 2026

Japan's health ministry is set to eliminate out-of-pocket payments associated with child delivery, possibly from April next year, to address the country's declining birthrate.

Japan eyes fully covering childbirth costs from April 2026

Japan currently provides a lump-sum payment of 500,000 yen (US$3,400) for each childbirth.

Japan set to fully cover childbirth costs to address falling birth rate

The country plans to cover expenses even for normal deliveries, possibly from April 2026. Read more at straitstimes.com.

At a press conference on the 16th, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, Shigeta Fukuoka, said, "We will proceed with detailed consideration of the policy to make the self-payment of childbirth expenses free of charge from the perspective of reducing the economic burden on pregnant women." In light of the current situation where the self-payment varies depending on the region, the policy will be implemented as early as fiscal 2026.

Japan to cover childbirth costs under public insurance amid falling birthrate

JAPAN: Japan’s Health Ministry is expected to eliminate out-of-pocket payments for childbirth, potentially starting from April next year, in an effort to tackle the country’s persistently declining birthrate. A panel of experts approved a policy proposal on Wednesday (14 May) that includes fully covering the cost of normal deliveries under the public medical insurance system. At present, such deliveries are not insured, as they are not categoris…