Pregnancy

As soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, submit a notification of pregnancy to your city hall. You will receive a “mother and child’s health handbook”. Many local governments provide this handbook in foreign languages, but the coupons for free medical checks are sometimes only provided with the Japanese version. Please confirm with the person issuing your handbook that the coupons are included. If your city hall only provides a Japanese edition, you can buy a translation from the Mothers' and Children's Welfare Association (Tel.: 03-4334-1151).

With the handbook and coupons you can get various health services for free, including medical checks for both mother and baby, checks on the progress of the pregnancy and the baby’s growth, and vaccinations. Information will be recorded in the handbook. (If your baby was born baby shortly before coming to Japan you can get this handbook to use while you are in Japan.)

Birth Costs

In Japan, health insurance does not cover childbirth. A normal birth costs about 350,000 yen or 450,000 yen, though it can be dramatically more expensive, depending on your choice of hospital. Parents receive a lump sum payment for childbirth and nursing from their health insurance provider. For the Science and Technology Health Insurance Society serving RIKEN, the amount is 520,000 yen, and there are some extra benefits.

Legal Procedures for Newborns

There are certain procedures that need to be done for newborns in Japan. Another source of information for this is http://www.clair.or.jp/tagengo/.

1. Firstly, at the hospital, you should receive a birth certificate.
2. Take this to your city hall within fourteen days and get a “proof of the report of a birth”.
3. Get a passport for the baby from your embassy or consulate.

If the baby is going to stay in Japan for more than 60 days, then you need to do several more things.

1. Within 30 days of the birth, apply for a visa (status of residence) at the immigration bureau. For this you will need to show a document from the employer of one of the parents.
2. Within 60 days of the birth, go to the city hall, and do the alien registration procedures. For this you will need the proof of a report of a birth and the baby’s and parents’ passports.
3. When you get the baby's visa, go to your city hall and get the baby's certificate of alien registration updated with the baby’s status of residence.

Your home country may also require various formalities. Ask your embassy for details. Embassies in Tokyo are listed at http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/link/embassy/.

Circumcision

Circumcision is a relatively rare procedure in Japan, and thus generally requires planning. Discuss your wishes with your obstetrician or pediatrician. If you live in the Tokyo area, try the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic (which does not accept Japanese insurance).

Medical Cards and Childcare Allowances

Children’s medical cards are issued by local governments and enable you to get a partial or total refund on the cost of medical care; you need these in addition to normal health insurance. Childcare allowances are monthly payments that you will receive to help with childcare costs, provided that you are not earning more than the maximum threshold.

To apply for either of these, go to your city hall with the child’s certificate of alien registration and passport, the passport of the parent whose dependent the child is, a photocopy of the parent’s own health insurance card, and Japanese bank account details. Note that whereas childcare allowances are offered throughout Japan, assistance for medical care of infants depends on local governments and may not be available (in Yokohama, for example, this system is not implemented).