Abortion rights: why is Japan still struggling with gender equality?

While the debate around abortion rights in the US still rages, the topic seems to be forgotten in Japan where women will need their partner’s consent to get the abortion pill.

Back in May, a Japanese senior health ministry official told parliament that the country was open to approving a British abortion pill.

But he also said that women still need to “gain the consent of their partner” before they can buy the pill. 

The episodes highlights the lack of gender equality in the country, where it took 30 years to approve the contraceptive or birth control pill against the six months it took to approve the Viagra pill for male impotence.

Ota Minami (anonymised name), a Japanese woman, said that she got pregnant after her boyfriend refused to wear a condom during sex. The man then refused to sign the document that would allow her to get an abortion.

“It’s strange that I had to ask him to use contraception,” she said. “And when he decided he didn’t want to use a condom, I needed his permission to get an abortion.

“The pregnancy happened to me and my body, but I need permission from someone else. It made me feel powerless. I couldn’t make a decision about my own body and own future.”

With condoms being the primary form of birth control in Japan, getting an abortion pill is difficult and expensive. The cost is estimated to be around £500 as it is likely to involve being admitted to a hospital or clinic, as the healthcare system considers this practice necessary for the protection of women.

Dr Tsugio Maeda, deputy head of the Japan Gynaecological Association, said: “In Japan, after taking the abortion pill you will have to be kept in hospital so we can monitor the patient. It will take more time than a traditional surgical abortion.

“The maternal health protection act says an abortion must be carried out in a medical facility. So unfortunately under the current law we can’t sell the abortion pill over the counter. It would be illegal.”