Japan considers making childbirth free to reverse dwindling birth rate

Government provides a subsidy for each birth but it’s often not enough to cover expenses

Japan is likely to cover parents’ hospital fees for childbirth from April 2026 as the country struggles to reverse its falling birth rate.

A panel of experts tasked with examining ways to ease financial burdens on new parents has recommended the government make “standard childbirth free of charge” under the country’s medical insurance system. It has proposed the health ministry “design a specific system by around fiscal 2026” to address the declining birth rate.

Childbirth is not covered by Japan’s national health insurance scheme unless it involves surgical methods such as a caesarean section.

The government provides a subsidy of up to ¥500,000 (£2,581) for each birth, but in around 45 per cent of the cases assessed by the panel between May 2023 and September 2024 the amount wasn’t enough to cover the full expenses.

The cost of childbirth varies across prefectures, with hospitals setting their own fees for normal deliveries. The cost of normal delivery averaged ¥518,000 (£2,674) in the first half of 2024, rising 24 per cent from 2012 when it was around ¥417,000 (£2,150), according to data from the health ministry.

The panel has proposed setting a unified price for childbirth nationwide.

Young adults celebrate the Coming-of-Age Day in Yokohama near Tokyo (AP)

Japan last year witnessed the lowest number of births since records began 125 years ago. It was the ninth consecutive year of falling births despite the government’s efforts to reverse the decline.

The country recorded 720,988 births in 2024, five per cent down from the previous year, the health ministry said.

The demographic crisis has alarmed policymakers in the world’s fastest ageing country where 30 per cent of the population is already over 65.

The government has been trying a raft of measures to address the problem, including expanding childcare facilities, offering housing subsidies, and even launching a dating app to encourage marriage and childbearing.

The health ministry adopted a childcare policy package in 2023 to reverse the declining birth rate by supporting new families financially.