Japan to pay for IVF to try and stop population crisis

The country has the world’s oldest population

Insurance could cut IVF costs by 70 per cent (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In a bid to reverse falling birth rates, the prime minister of Japan has promised to include fertility treatments in insurance coverage, but some warn it will not be enough to tackle the demographic issue which stems from “complex societal issues”.

Yoshihide Suga, who became prime minister in September, addressed the issue of depopulation during his leadership campaign, pledging to create an “environment where women can stay healthy and play an active role in the community”, alongside a promise to cover treatment with health insurance. 

The premier hopes widening access to IVF treatment will raise Japan’s fertility rate – the average number of children a woman has –  which stood at 1.36 last year. Japan’s fertility rate has been below the replacement level – the number needed to keep the population stable – of 2.1 since the 1970s. The government is aiming to raise the rate to 1.8.

People seeking fertility treatment in Japan currently pay several hundred thousand yen – amounting to thousands of pounds – for one round of IVF treatment, as infertility is not recognised as a disease in the country and as such not covered by insurance. Including it in health insurance would slash costs by about 70 per cent.

However, some experts said economically incentivising fertility treatment will have little positive effect on the country’s birth rate, underlining that the issue is “complex” and intertwined with gender inequality and economic insecurity in the country.

Speaking to The Guardian, Osamu Ishihara, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Saitama Medical University said little progress would be made unless a “a combination of complex issues in Japanese society” are also dealt with.

Mr Ishihara said: “Covering fertility treatment with health insurance will help a little, but that alone will not be enough to lift the birth rate.

“Treatments for men are quickly introduced but women are at a huge disadvantage. In the UK treatments for all aspects of women’s reproductive health are available for free on the NHS, but in Japan they have to pay for everything from contraception to abortion.”

Under former premier Shinzo Abe, the country’s birth rate hit another record low last year, despite his efforts to tackle the issue through policies that boost the role of women in the economy and politics. 

The administration also brought in free preschool education and daycare services for children from last year.

Japan has the world’s oldest population, and the coronavirus pandemic is expected to a further decline in the number of babies born this year.