What is Japan’s ‘baby hatch’ and why is it controversial?

In the southern Japanese city of Kumamoto, infants and young children can be anonymously dropped off by their parents at the country’s first and only “baby hatch.”

The controversy surrounding the issue has been heated in the country. Critics have questioned the practice and said it should be stopped as it can lead to social problems, as well affect the future for children.

Jikei Hospital established the “Baby Hatch” in 2007 to address the alarming rate of child abandonments across the nation, including the case of an infant left in a supermarket toilet. 

Parents who cannot provide sufficient care for their babies, most commonly newborns, take their children to the hatches. The hatches are made up of a door, flap, or window on an outside wall that opens onto their bed.

The infant is kept warm by the bed. Sensors notify hospital staff when the baby has been moved inside. These beds are protected against being opened from the exterior once a baby is inside.

The hospital claimed that providing safe places for the children would prevent dangerous abandonments and save innocent lives. Children in the hospital’s care are eventually sent to other institutions or foster care.

Until this year, no abandoned child had spoken publicly about the experience of being left in a baby hatch. Koichi Mishatsu, a man who had been left in the baby hatch as a child, credits the system for opening a new chapter.

“I owe what I am today to the baby hatch,” Miyatsu told AFP news agency, adding that he still has the clothes he was wearing when he was left at the hospital as a treasured memory of his childhood. 

Miyatsu, one of the hatch’s first children, was adopted soon after. The 18-year old now works in a local church, providing free meals for children in need.

Although his success story is one of greatness, there are still some questions about the idea of a baby batch.

Critics say rather than combating child abandonments, the availability of baby hatches induces abandonment of infants and some people may abuse the system for selfish reasons and put babies in medical jeopardy.

“A system that essentially allows parents to renounce their parenthood and anonymously give away their child raises questions of ethics, financial priorities and of what is thought to be the best interests of the child,” writes author Amelie Marmenlind for Metropolis Japan.

Politicians such as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a majority of his cabinet ministers resisted against the programme, as Abe said “those fathers and mothers who anonymously give away their child will not have my forgiveness.

Unclear legal basis

The Kounotori no Yurikago system (translated as “White Stork’s Cradle”) was modelled on similar programmes and services found abroad. 

The world’s largest number of baby hatches is 300 in Pakistan, while Germany has 100 and Germany has 100. Germany has 76, Poland has 67 and the Czech Republic has 75. All countries reported to have baby hatches include Slovakia, Hungary, Italy and Latvia.

The hatches are usually found in hospitals, social centres, or churches, and the legal aspects of each change based on the country it’s found in and are often “grey areas” with no clear legal basis.

One of the most controversial areas of controversy is the anonymity of the birth. Baby hatches allow women in many countries to avoid having to register for birth.

Advocates say that baby hatches offer a last resort to desperate women who are afraid of retaliatory steps from their registered births like deportation or family reactions. They may choose to use baby hatches instead of more fatal options like infanticide.

“We must be pragmatic and not shut our eyes to reality. The abandonment of newborns exists, and if this hatch helps us save even one, it will be worth the effort,” Swiss hospital director Sandro Foiada told Swissinfo.

Switzerland’s growing number of baby hatches raised alarm among critics in 2014 when three baby-hatches were installed in Davos, Olten and Bern over an 18 month period. 

Sexual Health Switzerland organisation called on directors of public health institutions to “(re)examine critically the provision of this kind of service”.

“It is of fundamental importance, for the mother herself but also for the baby, to have access to all health services, before, during and after birth,” Mirta Zurini, an independent consultant to the organisation said.

“Basic conditions should be ensured in which she can be cared for and supported from the medical, psychological and social point of view. With a hatch for newborns, this is totally lacking,” added Zurini.

Critics also say anonymous births violate a child’s right to know the identity of his or her biological parents, citing article 7 of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child that declares that the child shall have “as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents”

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), says that 200 baby hatches have been installed on the continent in the last decade.

The 18 international human rights specialists based in Geneva estimate that more than 400 children were left in hatches from 2000 to 2012.

“Just like medieval times in many countries we see people claiming that baby boxes prevent infanticide … there is no evidence for this,” Maria Herczog, a member of the UNCRC and child psychologist from Hungary told the Guardian.

In addition, critics also say anonymous births neglect fulfilment of the biological parents’ basic obligation to raise their child and the rights of one parent may be ignored if the other, or another relative, surrenders a child without his or her consent.

“Studies in Hungary show that it’s not necessarily mothers who place babies in these boxes — that it’s relatives…step-fathers, fathers,” Nottingham University psychologist Kevin Browne told the BBC.  

Some critics also agree and say that even though they are initiated with good intentions the baby hatches are inadequate in combating child abandonments or protecting vulnerable women. 

They support their removal and long-term solutions to the problem. This includes education and public relations to promote social childcare systems, prevent unwanted pregnancies, and reduce the rising cost of childcare.

Instead of baby boxes, Herczog argues that there should be “better state provision of family planning, counselling for women and support for unplanned pregnancies.”

READ MORE: Children are left on the streets and in trash cans in a Syrian province.

The cost of childcare and poverty

Despite Japan’s record-low birth rates, the number of children who are abandoned is alarmingly high. The World Bank reported that the 2019 birth rate was 1.36 per woman.

Japan’s fertility rate is lower than its replacement levels for a long time. This means that Japan’s population is declining every year.

According to a University of Tokyo survey in 2018, the majority of Japanese parents wanted more children, but they pointed to the high cost of child-care as the main reason.

According to the Japan healthcare info (JHI), hospital delivery alone can cost up to one million yen. Jikei Hospital stated that the baby hatch system is a viable option for financially poor families.

Japan’s baby hatch has been in operation since May 2007 and during this time, 161 babies and toddlers have been left with the hospital.

Japan Times reports that more then half of the babies left at the hatch were born at home. Many of their mothers had been poor and did not have access to medical care.

According to a 2012 report, the primary reasons for dropping off a child at Japan’s baby hatch were poverty, objections of parents of expecting mothers or fathers, the couple being unmarried, and a parent’s mental disorder.

Source: TRTWorld, agencies