All about the care that Japan provides for mothers during pregnancy, childbirth and after childbirth

Japan supports families with an expectant mother in many different ways. For example, 420,000 yen is provided to cover delivery expenses. In this topic, we will discuss with you how help and support can be obtained during pregnancy, what are the rights of a pregnant woman, and what issues should be considered and planned before giving birth.

1) Pregnancy related procedures

1-1 Notification of Pregnancy and Issue of Maternal and Child Health Handbook (Bushi Kinko Techo)

• As soon as the mother learns about the pregnancy she will notify the local municipal office as soon as possible.
• The office will provide the following for those who report their pregnancy:
  1. Maternal and Child Health Handbook (Bushi Kinko Techo).
  2. Subsidized discounted pregnancy test vouchers.
  3. Conducting consultations with public health nurses and other professionals.
  4. Information about instructional lessons for parents.

* The Mother and Child Health Handbook records the complete health history of the mother from conception to birth, and the child from infancy to early childhood, with guidance provided to parents or guardians on the upbringing of children. It is designed to allow parents or guardians to take notes and manage information and to enable healthcare professionals to take notes and see information.

1-2 health checks during pregnancy

• Pregnant women should take care of their health more than usual.
  Please get regular check-ups during pregnancy and take care of your health according to the advice of doctors, midwives and other healthcare professionals.
• It is best to perform medical examinations during pregnancy according to the following frequency:
  1. Once every four weeks from the beginning of pregnancy until week 23.
  2. Once every two weeks from week 24 to week 35.
  3. Once a week from the 36th week until birth.

1-3 Home visits by a public health nurse, midwife or other health care professional

A public health nurse, midwife or other healthcare professional will visit you at your home to provide help and guidance on the following:

1. Guidelines for home living or meals.
2. Counseling about fear or anxiety you may have about pregnancy and childbirth.
3. Baby care advice.

* These visits do not incur any fees. For more details please contact your local municipal office.

1-4 Counseling sessions for parents

The municipality organizes lessons for parents on pregnancy, childbirth, child care, nutrition and other related topics. These sessions are also an opportunity to meet and talk with other expecting parents.

2) Postpartum procedures

2.1 Birth notification

When you have a baby in Japan:

• Notification of the birth must be provided by either the mother or the father.
• This notification must be submitted within 14 days of delivery.
• File the birth notification with the municipality in which your child was born or with the municipality of the person making the notification.

(1) Necessary documents for giving birth notification

• birth certificate
• For other necessary documents, contact the municipality to which you will submit the notification.

(2) Other procedures

If a child’s residence status is not issued within 60 days of birth, the residency certificate may be revoked, and the child may not be able to receive administrative services such as national health insurance and childcare allowance. For more details see Chapter 1, 2-4, “Permit to Obtain Residence”.

2.2 Notification of the country of origin of the birth

If neither parent has Japanese citizenship, the child cannot acquire Japanese citizenship even if he was born in Japan. In such a case, it is necessary to follow the procedure for notification of the birth of the child in your country of origin. For more details, please contact the embassy or consulate (general) of the country of the father or mother in Japan.

In addition, get a passport for your child.

3) The cost of delivery and allowances

• Since pregnancy and childbirth are not diseases, they are generally not covered by health insurance.
• Caesarean section and other surgical procedures are covered by health insurance as exceptions.

3-1 The total amount of maternity allowance

When the mother is registered with health insurance or the National Health Insurance, she is covered by a scheme under which 420,000 yen is paid to cover birth expenses. But if the birth is not covered under the Japan Obstetric Compensation Scheme for cases of cerebral palsy, such as when the gestation period is less than 22 weeks, the amount paid is 404 thousand yen.

1. direct payment
   Under this method, the medical institution requests and receives the total maternity allowance on behalf of the mother. Thus, the parents do not have to pay the full amount of the cost of the birth when leaving the hospital.
2. proxy recipient
   Under this method, when you request maternity benefit from the health insurance organization or any other organization in which you are registered, you can authorize the medical institution where your child will be born to receive the benefit so that it is paid directly to the medical institution.

3-2 maternity allowance

If you are enrolled in health insurance and have to take unpaid leave from work, you will be eligible to receive a maternity allowance for the length of time you have been absent from work during the period starting 42 days before delivery (the expected day of delivery) (98 days for multiple births) and ending after 56 days from birth. In principle, you are eligible to receive an amount equal to two-thirds of your salary per day as a maternity allowance during maternity leave from your health insurance. But if you receive wages from the company you work for while you are on leave, and the amount is greater than the amount of the maternity allowance, you are not eligible to receive the maternity allowance.

The day on which the birth occurs is counted within the period prior to the date of the child’s birth. If the delivery is late and occurs after the expected date, you will also be eligible to receive a maternity allowance for the late period.

3.3 Childcare leave entitlements

(1) Allowances during childcare leave

If you are registered with Employment Insurance and take leave to care for a child under one year old (one year and two months if certain conditions are met or one and six months or two years if certain other conditions are met) and meet the following conditions, you will be eligible to receive child care leave benefits by applying To get benefits at Hello Work, in principle. (For the first six months, you get an amount equal to 67% of your salary before the vacation starts. After that, you get 50% of your salary before the vacation starts.)

• Conditions that must be met to receive benefits:
  1. Worked more than 11 days per month or more than 80 hours worked per month as the basis for payment of wages for 12 months or more during the two years preceding the date of commencement of childcare leave.
  2. You meet certain conditions such as your salary being reduced while on childcare leave to less than 80% of the wages you received when you began your leave.

(2) In the case of a temporary worker (worker on a fixed-term contract)

The temporary worker (employee with a fixed-term contract) must meet all of the following conditions at the beginning of the child care leave, in addition to the conditions mentioned above:

1. He has been working in the same company (with the same employer) for more than a year.
2. It is not clear that the employment contract will end before the child reaches one year and six months (two years if childcare leave begins after the child reaches one and six months of age for reasons such as the child’s inability to enter a nursery).

3-4 Child Benefit

Child benefit is paid to ensure a stable home environment and the healthy development of children.

This benefit is paid when both the child and the person raising them live in Japan.

(1) Eligibility

A person raising a child until March 31, after the child’s fifteenth birthday.

(2) How to receive child benefit

• Apply for the benefit to your local municipality.
• In principle, the benefit is paid from the month following the month in which the application is submitted.
• You need to submit a new application when a new child is born or when you move to another municipality.

(3) the amount of the benefit

* If the person raising the child’s income is at or above the income threshold, they are paid 5,000 yen per month (5,000 or 0 yen per month from June 2022 onwards).

* “Third Child and Beyond” means the third child and subsequent children among those children who have not yet arrived on 31 March for the first time after their eighteenth birthday and are being brought up.

(4) The date of payment of the benefit

As a rule, the child benefit is paid once every 4 months (in June, October and February).

4) child care

4.1 Medical examinations for infants

Your municipality provides the following medical examinations free of charge:

• Medical examination for an 18-month-old baby
• 3 year old baby medical examination
• According to the municipality, medical examinations may be conducted for infants of other ages.

* Medical examinations include growth testing, height and weight measurements, and parenting counseling. For more information, please contact your local municipal office.

4-2 Vaccines

There are some diseases that can be immunized against with vaccines. There are two types of vaccines:

1. Vaccines recommended by the municipality
   These vaccines can be provided free of charge. Please contact your local municipal office for more details.
2. Optional vaccines are available upon request
   You have to pay for these vaccinations yourself. Get a doctor’s opinion first.

3-4 Children’s medical expenses

If you are enrolled in health insurance, you pay 20% of the medical expenses of children up to the age of six before they start primary school.

Depending on the municipality in which you live, medical expenses may be free until the end of primary school or additional assistance may be provided.

4-4 facilities for pre-school children

• There are different types of facilities for children up to the age of six before they start primary school, such as day care centers (nurseries), kindergartens and early childhood education and care centers.
• Fees for day care, kindergarten, and early childhood education and care centers are free for all children ages 3 to 5.

(1) Day Care Center (Nursery, Hoekogo)

• These facilities care for children on behalf of parents and guardians who are unable to provide care at home due to work or other reasons.
• Regular daycare services are eight hours a day, and some of these centers also offer after-hours services such as holiday and evening daycare services.
• Some day care centers offer hourly care services where children can be left there on an hourly basis in case of urgent work or when there is a short-term part-time job, for example.

Unregistered nurseries

This is the general term for facilities that look after children that have not been approved under the Child Welfare Act. Below are examples of unregistered nurseries:

• Unregistered nurseries (Moninka Hoekogo)
• Nurseries for customers in stores
• Day Nursing Care (Takugicho)
• Children’s hotels
• baby sitter

(2) Kindergarten (Yochiin)

• Kindergarten is a school for children from the age of three until starting primary school.
• The standard time for instruction is four hours a day, but childcare services are available in some kindergartens until the evening or night, or from the early morning hours, depending on the circumstances of parents and guardians such as work.
• Kindergarten focuses on children’s voluntary activity and play, as opposed to primary school education.
• Some kindergartens also offer parenting counseling services to parents and guardians in the community or open the schoolyard to the public.

(3) Early Childhood Education and Care Center (Nintyi Kodomoun)

• Early childhood education and care centers combine the functions of both a kindergarten and a nursery school.
• Early childhood education and care centers can be used regardless of whether parents/guardians are working or not.
• They also have other functions for all families with children such as counseling activities to help with the concern of a child’s upbringing and to provide a place where parents and children come together.

4-5 After school children’s clubs (Hokagogido)

• For primary school children whose parents or guardians are not at home during the day due to work or other reasons, after school children’s clubs are available.
• After-school care workers work in these clubs to provide a place to play and spend time after class.
• In addition to after-school children’s clubs, some municipalities also offer after-school children’s classes that include different types of learning and interactive activities for all primary school children.

4-6 Family Support Center

• The Family Support Center is an organization made up of the members listed below. The center acts as a mediator to help members support each other.
  1. Parents who need help monitoring infants or primary school children.
  2. People who want to help.
• Some examples of support:
  1. Taking children to and from nurseries.
  2. Monitor children after daycare hours or after school.
  3. Monitor children while parents or guardians go grocery shopping or do other tasks.
• The procedure for using such support:
  1. Contact your nearest local Family Support Center, and register to become a member.
  2. Apply to use support.
  3. The Family Support Center counselor introduces you to the member who will help you and act as an intermediary between you and that person.
  4. Pay a fee to the person who provided assistance after the assistance ends.

(Original text in English, source of information and intellectual property rights belong to Japan Immigration Agencypublished with permission from the Japan Immigration Agency, title photo via PIXTA)