In Japan first, Kumamoto baby's birth to be reported without mother's name

KUMAMOTO – In a nationwide first, a hospital in Kumamoto said Friday that it plans to submit a birth notification of a baby who was born under a confidentiality agreement in December without including the mother’s name.

The mother, who is under 20 years old, gave birth to the baby at Jikei Hospital but declined to publicly disclose her identity.

The woman, who had been unable to tell her family about her pregnancy, left the hospital a month ago saying that she cannot raise the baby by herself, hospital officials said.

She continues to seek a family that can adopt her baby, the officials said. She believes that the baby will be better off if cared for by adoptive parents who pass strict screenings, they said.

The woman wishes for her identity to be disclosed to the baby when the child becomes an adult, the hospital officials said. Earlier this month, the baby was transferred from the hospital to a nursery.

Takeshi Hasuda, the director of Jikei hospital, said, “We’ll have to be well-prepared for what would be the first case of confidential birth” in the country. The hospital last month asked judicial authorities about the legality of an anonymous birth notification.

In December 2019, the hospital introduced the confidential birth system to prevent women from giving birth at home or other places.

Confidential births are not covered by the law.

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