FY2024 4th Regular Meeting “Child Rearing Support from Preconception Ⅲ” (1st half)

Fertility Decline and Fertility Treatment Issues in Japan

In 2023, Japan’s total fertility rate was 1.20, the lowest on record, and is projected to decline further. This declining fertility trend is attributed to a variety of structural factors, including a decrease in the population of the younger generation, a decline in the marriage rate, and economic insecurity.

Against this backdrop, it is estimated that 600,000 people undergo fertility treatment annually in Japan, and that approximately 7% of births are the result of assisted reproductive technologies.

However, the economic burden and social stigma (prejudice and discrimination, such as negative stigmatization) associated with these fertility treatments are still an issue. Many people are hesitant to undergo treatment because of these issues.

In light of this situation, we have been advocating the importance of support and awareness-raising activities under the slogan of “support for child rearing from before conception.

General Questions (excerpts and summaries are provided)

<Question 1>
In 2022, the city’s own subsidy to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s specific fertility treatment subsidy and a proposal for coupons for bridal checkups for newly married couples have run into difficulties due to financial difficulties.

The city guided them to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s fertility treatment subsidy system, and although the city did not provide its own subsidy due to financial constraints, it provides consultation support at the Child and Family Support Center.

Public health nurses provide courteous support during consultations, and a system is in place to introduce specialized institutions.

In addition, the city has publicized its own initiatives such as the “Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics Online Health Consultation” and disseminates information on consultation services provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the national government. On our website, we provide information on “preconception care” and promote health management for adolescent-specific health issues and pregnancy considerations.

Since the national government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government are engaged in wide-area efforts to provide support for infertility, pregnancy, etc., the city will actively disseminate information and provide ongoing support from preconception on the basis of the support provided by the national and metropolitan governments to ensure that people have the correct knowledge about pregnancy.

<Question 2>
Please tell us why Miraiku decided to hold a lecture on pre-conception care for middle and high school youth and their parents as a new project in FY2024.

The reason for holding this project is that the consultation support provided by the Child and Family Support Center, where maternal and child health and child welfare are integrated, now focuses more than ever on the background of the individual and the family as a whole.

The backgrounds of the consultants vary from their own bodies, marital relationships, family relationships, and balancing work and medical treatment, etc., and they are often alone with their problems even before they think about becoming pregnant.

We believe that preconception support is important for the purpose of guiding the younger generation to better mental and physical health by managing their health based on correct knowledge.

With adolescent women suffering from menstruation, anovulation, and uterine fibroids, it is important to understand the importance of health care at a young age and to form appropriate lifestyle habits early.

Providing preconception care learning at the middle and high school stages will contribute to improving health awareness and help them plan their own future and eliminate social stigma. This initiative contributes not only to individual health, but also to the sustainable development of society, and is an excellent policy for Hino City. In the future, we hope to introduce this program into junior high school educational settings to provide all children with the opportunity to confront their bodies.

It is also desirable to have parents learn about reproductive health and rights separately and set up individual learning opportunities with their children. This will contribute to improving the welfare of individuals and the community as a whole, and will help build a sustainable social infrastructure.

<Question 3>
We would like the Child and Family Support Center to develop pre-conception care services for junior high and high school students, while also working on “reproductive health and rights” beyond that.

Reproductive health/rights refers to “women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.” It is a concept that guarantees the physical, mental, and social health of both men and women in terms of pregnancy, childbirth, and contraception from the perspective of human rights and sexuality, and respects women’s right to self-determination.

Reproductive health/rights” is an initiative that goes beyond the ‘preconception care’ mentioned earlier, and we recognize that it is an important initiative from the perspective of how all women should live their lives, and the Child and Family Support Center would like to work on raising awareness about it.

I believe that these two projects, “Preconception Care” and “Reproductive Health and Rights,” will help families to have a deeper discussion about love education.

I was also able to realize that the city is making great strides toward realizing Hino’s policy of “a Hino where people can design their lives by facing their own bodies” and a society that respects people’s opinions and ways of life and recognizes diversity.