Abortion in Japan is allowed under a term limit of 22 weeks for endangerment to the health of the pregnant woman, economic hardship, or rape.
[1] Chapter XXIX of the Penal Code of Japan makes abortion de jure illegal in the country, but exceptions to the law are broad enough that it is widely accepted and practiced.
If a woman is married, consent from her spouse is also needed to approve abortions for socioeconomic reasons, although the rule doesn't apply if she is in a broken marriage, suffering abuse, or other domestic issues.
Any other person who is not a certified gynecologist or obstetrician who aborts a fetus using abortifacients that is not approved by the Japanese Health Ministry will be penalized.
In August 2024, the Ministry of Health announced it is now considering the expansion of medical abortion to outpatient clinics that can coordinate inpatient facilities in the case of emergencies.
[9] According to the scholar Tiana Norgern, the abortion policy under the Meiji government was similar to that of the Edo period, and was fueled by the belief that a large population would yield more military and political influence on the international stage.
[9] This did not result in any immediate reaction from the government at the time, but after the war, these resolutions were consulted when drafting legislation legalizing abortion.
[citation needed] Fearing a decline in birth rates in the following decades, the nationalist Konoe cabinet decided to implement a series of pro-natalist measures.
[14] A further stipulation was added in 1952 requiring that the mother meet an economic threshold of poor living conditions to obtain an abortion.
[3] According to researchers, in more than 99 percent of cases, the reason reported for performing an abortion was to protect the woman's health; this percentage remained constant during 1975–1995.