With the birth rate so low, the government is grasping at straws

The latest figures show that 1 in 20 Japanese babies born in 2015 began life in an IVF clinic.

According to a survey by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) there were a record 424,151 IVF procedures in 2015, resulting in 51,001 births, also a record.

From 1983, when IVF was first performed in Japan, to 2015, 482,600 children have been born with the procedure.

About 40% of women who go through IVF are over 40 nowadays even though the chance of having a baby is low – 9.1% for 40-year-olds and 4.5% for 42-year-olds.

Infertility treatment is a key element in the Japanese government’s strategy to raise the birth-rate from 1.44 to 1.8 by 2026. The population is decreasing every year at the same time as the number of retired people increases. 

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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