50% of people in Japan had no sex in March-May 2020: survey
May 13, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
This 2015 file photo shows Central Government Building No. 5, which houses the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in Tokyo s Kasumigaseki district. (Mainichi/Kimi Takeuchi) TOKYO Forty percent of men and 60% of women in Japan did not have sexual intercourse between March and May of last year, survey results released on May 12 by a health ministry-backed research group have revealed. This was around the time that Japan was under its first coronavirus state of emergency. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, pregnancy notifications, which most pregnant women submit to local governments, also decreased by 5% between January and October last year compared to the same period in 2019. The pandemic may further accelerate the decline in Japan s birthrate in tandem with the decrease in sexual intercourse, the ministry added.
Mifepristone and Misoprostol, abortion pills widely used overseas (provided by Yutaka Osuga, professor at the University of Tokyo)
British pharmaceutical company LinePharma is expected to soon apply to the health ministry to have its abortion pill approved for use in Japan.
The drug company has concluded the final phase of clinical trials in Japan and confirmed that the pill aborts the pregnancy more than 90 percent of the time.
As soon as the company completes an additional clinical trial, it will file the application.
If approved, it will be the first abortion pill in Japan.
Some experts, though, have expressed concerns over the use of such emergency contraception.
UK pharma firm to seek first Japan approval for abortion pill, but challenges remain
April 22, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Mifepristone pills, marked MF, and misoprostol pills, marked ML, which have been used widely outside Japan as induced abortion medication, are seen in this photo provided by Tokyo University professor Yutaka Osuga. TOKYO British drug company Linepharma is set to seek Japan s first ever regulatory approval for an induced abortion pill for practical use. However, though the pill has been in regular use in the United States and Europe for some two decades, there remain challenges surrounding drug pricing and abortion methods, among other factors.