Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report KUMAMOTO--Around the clock at Jikei Hospital here 12 counselors at Jikei Hospital offer support through email and by phone to women wanting to give birth to their babies anonymously The hospital in Kumamoto is the sole medical center in Japan that offers a confidential birth program women only need to disclose their identities to specialized staff members at the establishment Those wanting to utilize the system should first contact Jikei Hospital’s neonatal consultation office Six full-time staffers are deployed there and the others telework from home said that troubled women often convey simple messages when seeking help “I have no one to share my problems with” or “I don’t know what to do.” “Their short texts and simple requests make us understand how urgent their circumstances are,” explained Nishimori She added that Jikei Hospital occasionally receives phone calls late at night from mothers who “may already be in labor.” “They must have suffered from severe dilemmas and anxieties before reaching out to us,” said Nishimori “I make a point of expressing gratitude first for their decision to contact us I show empathy for their hardships and assure them that they have a range of options to choose from so that we can work together to select the best one.” Jikei Hospital set up its newborn drop system called Konotori no Yurikago (cradle of storks) aiming to allow mothers to safely leave their unwanted babies anonymously in the care of the medical center Jikei Hospital has since experienced a succession of cases of women entrusting their newborns to the system the operator became aware that these women often deliver babies with no doctors in attendance Seeing mothers confronted by unwanted pregnancies and forced to choose between delivering their babies on their own Jikei Hospital considered what kind of support it can offer to save the lives of mothers and children “The stillbirth rate significantly rises in solitary births compared with hospital deliveries,” said Takeshi Hasuda “Additionally both mothers and children are exposed to a higher risk of death and newborns are more likely to be abandoned.” The confidential birth mechanism was therefore put in place to create a place in which women can “have babies at a medical center to avoid solitary births as a first step.” Starting with its first confidential birth in December 2021 Jikei Hospital helped 37 women to give birth under the system by October this year Individuals seeking assistance now show up at Jikei Hospital from not only the Kyushu region around Kumamoto but also eastern Japan remote islands and elsewhere across the country “Some come to our hospital only after they go into labor,” said Hasuda “At least one such medical center should exist in each prefecture nationwide to reduce risks.” Hasuda has been calling for the central government to legislate the confidential birth practice While describing confidential births as “not violating laws” for now the government still maintains that “cautious discussions are essential” to legalize the practice Hasuda noted that the state’s calling the delivery practice as “not violating laws” is insufficient given various challenges physicians could face in handling confidential births with no legal basis Women wanting a confidential environment may happen to give birth at public transit facilities or mothers and babies might be involved in accidents while out Emergency medical interventions may be required at times I emotionally struggled and wavered at the thought of taking on relevant risks on my own,” recalled Hasuda “Other doctors should not be compelled to do the same without a legal foundation.” “No additional hospitals with confidential birth systems will emerge unless further action is taken Another concern involves how to guarantee children’s “right to be informed of their origins.” all counselors are eligible to listen to women But identity data obtained is managed exclusively by Makoto Hasuda the details of newborns’ origins are stored officially by public organizations under legally confidential birth systems Procedures and age requirements for disclosing birth information are specified by law in these nations who keeps in contact with mothers for continuous support as necessary even after they return home following their deliveries said that she is “seriously concerned” about the current situation at Jikei Hospital “I am wondering if I can handle it all on my own as more women turn up,” lamented Makoto “What would happen if anything happens to me?” Makoto argued that defining confidential births via legislation will likewise free numerous women from feelings of guilt I will tell women that their choice is a valid option recognized by the government to protect their rights,” she said “I want to make it clear that they have nothing to worry about.” Hospital CEO: Confidential births need legal framework Mother-to-be won't reveal her identity to hospital treating her Tokyo to get 1st ‘baby hatch’ for unwanted newborns in ’24 Woman remains anonymous after giving birth in Kumamoto Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) 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Today's print edition Home Delivery Casting a household-name actor to headline a period epic would normally be seen as a safe bet but the producers of “Muromachi Outsiders” were taking a risk when they picked Yo Oizumi for the project The 51-year-old is an entertainer in the Ryan Reynolds mold with a wisecracking persona that tends to vary little from one screen appearance to the next So perhaps the biggest surprise about Yu Irie’s film is how convincingly Oizumi inhabits the role of a 15th-century rebel leader he benefits from some editorial trickery to pass himself off as a skilled swordsman but this is a performance with real gravitas.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); an obscure historical figure notable for being the first rōnin (masterless samurai) to lead a popular uprising As portrayed in Ryosuke Kakine’s 2016 source novel — which Irie adapts himself — Hyoe is a Robin Hood-esque folk hero moved to action by the callousness and corruption of the ruling class but he’s certainly going to make sure that the poor get their debts canceled In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Among fairly popular items are tablets to prevent odor and sliminess in water left in bathtubs sales of the tablets increased to about five times greater than usual A display of water-saving products is seen at a Cainz home center chain store in Hasuda TOKYO – In the 12 cities and towns where the Saitama prefectural government has called on people to reduce their sewer system use since a major sinkhole opened at an intersection in Yashio in the prefecture local stores have seen a rise in sales of water-saving products Lowering the water level in the sewers is essential to the search for the driver of a truck that fell into the sinkhole while driving on the prefectural road The rise in sales of such products is a reflection of cooperation among the approximately 1.2 million people living in the target areas At a home-center chain store of Cainz Corp 28 near the entrance to sell water-saving products the prefectural government began calling for people in the neighboring areas to reduce their use of the sewer system “We’d like to help people live with the minimum inconvenience even while the call for self-restraint from the prefectural government continues.” said that shipments of the product to the prefecture from Feb 3 to 7 soared by about 50% compared to the corresponding period last year Reheating water left in a tub can reduce wastewater by 120 to 160 liters “The prefectural government’s request for restraint in sewerage use may have caused the increase in sales as we are not currently making any particular sales drive for the product Local restaurants are also making their own efforts A Pakistani restaurant near the site of the sinkhole “Karachi no Sora” (Karachi sky) bought approximately 300 paper plates right after the prefectural government’s request was issued “My customers show their understanding [about the use of paper plates] the situation will surely get better,” said the 59-year-old operator of the restaurant KUMAMOTO--A hospital here behind a pioneering system that allows mothers to anonymously drop off unwanted newborns through a special “baby hatch” called “cradle of storks” is taking another step into legally uncharted territory 29 to reveal its staff are providing assistance to a woman well along in her pregnancy who refuses to divulge her identity apparently the first such case in Japan since the hospital introduced its system of confidentiality regarding births in December 2019 Jikei Hospital first made national headlines after it set up its drop box system called Konotori no Yurikago (cradle of storks) to save unwanted babies that the mother can safely leave in the care of the hospital Under Jikei Hospital’s confidential birth system women faced with an unplanned pregnancy can consult with hospital staff about giving birth anonymously The mother’s name is revealed only to the staff member in charge of the childbirth to allow the child to learn the identity of his or her mother in the event they decide in adulthood that they want to know the woman in question first consulted hospital staff through email and visited the hospital from outside Kumamoto Prefecture She was placed under observation by the hospital in mid-October She told hospital staff she wants to give birth without anyone knowing hospital staff have tried to convince the woman to reveal her identity The case raises the possibility of the first confidential birth being carried out with the prospect that the child will never know about its birth mother the hospital will be obliged to submit the birth report to the local government office while leaving the mother’s name blank legal limitations in Japan mean that the local government will not accept the notification thereby depriving the child of a family register that is essential for a host of administrative procedures in daily life The hospital in the past has sought instructions and support from the local government about confidential births 28 asked Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi what the city government intends to do Hasuda said appropriate care must be provided to ensure the baby is placed at as little disadvantage as current laws allow a Kumamoto city government official said answers to the hospital’s questions would be provided later and asked that priority be placed on ensuring a safe delivery The confidential birth system is designed to prevent the worst-case scenario of a mother giving birth by herself at home that could place both her and the baby in grave danger The measures in place for confidential birth would also protect the child’s right to know about his or her birth mother Although Japan has no legal provisions for such births health ministry officials have studied similar programs in place in other countries Unwanted infants bound to rise in current COVID-19 climate New mom shares concerns for pregnant women with COVID-19 Mother grieves over death of recluse son taken by support firm Number of kids under age 5 who are stateless in Japan up 3.5-fold Civil Law faces revision to lower unregistered births mother starves to death after son won’t seek help Tokyo) E4 Tohoku Expressway Hasuda Service Area (SA) The In-bound line will be relocated about 2.5 km from its current location toward Tokyo and will open this summer as NEXCO EAST 's largest facility The new Hasuda SA (In-bound line) has a parking space about 3 times larger than the current SA and the scale of commercial facilities is about twice as large "Pasar" developed by NEXCO EAST we provide a wide variety of services to our customers We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to the residents living in the neighborhood during the construction period until the opening of the building We appreciate your understanding and cooperation a total of 22 shops and gas stations will open and convenience stores.Expressway In addition to the customers who use it we have also improved the usage environment from general roads so that it can be used for daily shopping by local customers It is a combination of "PA" in the "parking area" "SA" in the "service area" and "R" in the relaxation we want to propose to our customers "a place where you can relax and take a break during the trip" and "a lively place where you can enjoy yourself during the trip" To view the PDF file, you need the Adobe Systems plug-in software "Acrobat Reader (Japanese version)". If you do not have​​​ Download from here (free)Please use it Copyright © 2020 East Nippon Expressway Company Limited All Rights Reserved Japanese version KUMAMOTO—An underage woman appears to have given the first “confidential birth” under Jikei Hospital’s system that allows women with unplanned pregnancies to remain anonymous 4 that the woman who lives in western Japan first consulted hospital staff through email in mid-November She told hospital staff that she wanted to give birth anonymously because she feared her mother would cut ties if she found out about the pregnancy The woman was also worried that her partner might beat her She visited the hospital the following month and was discharged after delivery The woman expressed her willingness in writing to use a special adoption system to find someone who can look after her baby “We want not only Kumamoto city but also the central government to take a practical approach (to the issue of confidential births) to stop new mothers from abandoning or killing unwanted newborns as much as possible,” Hasuda said Hospital staff tried to persuade the woman to divulge her identity Hasuda said he told her that her baby may keep longing for her since it would be tough for a child to know nothing about the mother She later revealed her identity to a hospital staff member in charge of the office for consultations about newborns The hospital also said it received copies of her health insurance card and a high school student ID card and will keep those copies in a safe The information will be stored to allow the child to learn the identity of his or her mother after reaching adulthood The hospital said it will hold on to a birth report Hasuda said the woman could later enter her name as the child’s mother in the birth report for submission to the local government office if she decides to raise the baby He said the new mother went to see the baby every day during hospitalization and seemed to have a deep affection for the child Hospital staff are keeping in touch with the woman and will again discuss the matter with her during her next visit to the hospital expected within a month at the earliest another underage woman who revealed her identity only to some hospital workers gave birth at the hospital She changed her mind after delivery and took the child home Hasuda revealed that another woman is also consulting the hospital about giving birth anonymously Japan has no legal provisions for confidential births which poses a problem for local governments when it comes to accepting a birth report without a mother’s name Jikei Hospital introduced its confidential birth system in December 2019 to prevent a mother from giving birth by herself at home that could place both her and the baby in grave danger The hospital has been seeking cooperation from the central and local governments in creating a legal system to deal with such births Woman seeking anonymity changes mind after delivery Mother-to-be won't reveal her identity to hospital treating her Mom abandons newborn after being wrongly denied abortion COVID-19 patient forced to give birth at home Japanese version KUMAMOTO--The underage mother stands outside the hushed Jikei Hospital here one chilly evening and gives the infant cradled in her arms a final studious look before dropping it off anonymously in the baby hatch content in the knowledge that her child will at least receive the quality care she is unable to provide 9 scene was captured for a promotional movie featuring a young woman who has an unexpected pregnancy gives birth alone and takes a Shinkansen high-speed train from her home to reach the hospital where she knows she can get rid of the child with no questions asked the footage was shot by an ad agency and lasts for five and a half minutes plays the role of the mother while actor Megumi Ushijima The promotional video is the brainchild of the Jikei Hospital which pioneered the baby hatch system called the “cradle of storks,” in the hope it will stop new mothers from abandoning or killing unwanted newborns The project also aims to raise public awareness about unwanted pregnancies and the hospital’s system that allows parents facing difficulties raising children to drop off their offspring anonymously An added benefit is that Jikei Hospital hopes it can lift its own profile more than a decade after it introduced the controversial drop-off hatch Hirose and Ushijima prepared for their roles by visiting Jikei Hospital to listen to accounts by nurses and other staff members responsible for consultation phone calls from troubled parents said he thought it was vital that the views of hospital staff were reflected in the clip as he explained the circumstances that led to the hospital accepting unwanted infants “As leaving one’s own baby behind anonymously at the cradle is an extraordinary experience the reproduced scene could have come across as meaningless unless the voices of those working here were taken into account,” said Hasuda The finished movie is to be uploaded to the hospital’s website and YouTube An English-subtitled version is also in the works to help publicize the facility’s efforts outside Japan The central message of the video is to “stop infants from being abandoned or killed” and show that women with unwanted pregnancies have an option if they are unable to care for their newborns Jikei Hospital initiated the baby hatch project in 2007 the hospital remains adamant in its quest to keep accepting unwanted infants particularly as far fewer women in their teens to 20s now know about the existence of the baby box system The promotional video is also aimed at those who are critical of the system Hasuda explained that he believes broad public debate and support is essential for the relatively small medical center to continue with its efforts “Mothers are desperately risking their lives to visit us,” Hasuda said I hope people will become aware that these mothers arrive here after giving the matter much thought.” Hasuda explained that parents at times give up on their children when the mothers themselves had been abused by their parents and cannot talk about their personal problems with family members Some cases involve such things as developmental disability mental retardation and psychological disorders Hasuda recently got involved in learning more about legal issues stemming from abandoning an infant to outright infanticide he began attending trials that involved young mothers who “did not entrust their children to our cradle before committing crimes.” Hasuda believes that learning about such incidents will help him spur public discussion on the issue “Presenting actual instances where babies died or were disposed of will surely lead people to talk about what steps should be taken to deal with this reality,” Hasuda said He also keeps a close watch on news reports for possible cases involving unwanted newborns and sends letters to local bar associations and other parties to interview defendants and submit his opinions before the cases go to trial Hasuda heard of a mother who gave birth alone say she had no memory of before and after her delivery The woman was given the third degree in court over the veracity of her account Hasuda said losing one’s memory in such a case is possible He remains determined to do what he can to help raise social understanding concerning desperate women who feel they have no choice but to give birth in isolation Jikei Hospital operates not only the baby box but also a consultation counter for people in need of help that is open around the clock A specialized section is also in place to provide advice to women suffering from issues such as domestic violence Jikei Hospital also recently went a step further by announcing it would accept women wanting to give birth to their offspring anonymously Children can be informed of their origins after they reach adulthood under the anonymous birth program combined with his knowledge accumulated through a thorough analysis of legal cases in such issues can help to prevent the lives of children from being threatened He clings to the belief that unless anonymity remains a given in the three areas of consultation delivery and entrustment of infants to safekeeping “Future efforts to rescue infants must respect the fact that some mothers Hasuda’s current goal is to ensure that similar baby hatch systems are incorporated in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures enabling those living far from Jikei Hospital and unable to visit it to seek assistance elsewhere (This article was written by Rina Horikoshi and Hideki Ito.) KUMAMOTO--Jikei Hospital here announced on May 11 that it had overseen Japan’s second confidential birth which allows a baby to be registered without disclosing the mother's name A woman who resides outside Kumamoto Prefecture gave birth anonymously in April “A confidential birth is a grave task for us but we prevented the baby from being killed or abandoned,” said Takeshi Hasuda The confidential birth system allows a woman who becomes unexpectedly pregnant to give birth by revealing her identity only to one hospital staff member This allows the child to someday learn the identity of their mother The hospital introduced the system in 2019 A teenage girl who lived outside Kumamoto Prefecture used the system when she gave birth in December becoming Japan’s first case of a confidential birth Hasuda told the news conference that the woman emailed the hospital during the second half of last year saying “I cannot rely on nor speak to anyone about this pregnancy She chose to use the confidential birth system and gave birth in April The woman revealed her identity only to the head of the office for consultations about newborns at the hospital when she was released from it She also left with the hospital a photocopy of her ID She left a comment to be read at the news conference stating I would have died together with the baby before giving birth.” Hospitals normally submit a birth report to the local government office where the office then adds the baby's name to a family register The register is essential for a host of administrative procedures in daily life in Japan Leaving the mother's name blank on the birth notification may mean the local office cannot accept the notification which can create problems for the child in the future the Kumamoto city government decided to allow Jikei Hospital to proceed with its confidential birth system in February after the first use of its new system arose Hospital plans to register birth without listing mother’s name Kumamoto to allow hospital’s confidential birth system KUMAMOTO--The head of Jikei Hospital here is calling on Japan to establish a legal framework for confidential births to protect the safety of the babies and their mothers “If mothers are determined to not reveal their identities there is no way to protect the safety of babies other than by allowing a confidential birth,” Takeshi Hasuda said in an interview with The Asahi Shimbun on Feb The hospital went ahead with allowing what is believed to be Japan’s first confidential birth in December in which a teenager gave birth anonymously only revealing her identity to one hospital staff member The woman told the hospital she desired a confidential birth and a special adoption arrangement for her baby The hospital and the Kumamoto city government are now preparing to create a family register entry for the baby set up under the mayor’s authority “(Japan’s system) is too incapable and the people involved (in the country’s first case of a confidential birth) do not know what to do as a result,” Hasuda said He said allowing confidential births can prevent tragic incidents and can prevent mothers from giving birth alone at home--something that can put both their lives and their newborns at risk Hasuda said he wants to create a better understanding of the issue among the public and stressed that the aim of allowing a confidential birth is to ensure a safe birth and the safety of the baby The hospital introduced its system for permitting confidential births in 2019 It assumes that the mother will reveal her identity to one hospital staffer to protect her child’s right to know their mother’s identity later in life The hospital has also operated a drop-box system called Konotori no Yurikago (cradle of storks) since 2007 to save unwanted babies that the mother can safely leave in the hospital’s care Hasuda said he has learned from the drop box--and from his own experiences helping defendants in cases where babies were abandoned or killed--that complex issues mental illnesses and intellectual disorders are usually behind cases of abandoned babies infanticides and instances of mothers giving birth by themselves He suggests that roughly one in every 10,000 pregnant women need a confidential birth based on the annual statistics of these tragic incidents Hasuda defended confidential births against criticisms made by some that women who chose to give birth anonymously are irresponsible “I guess there are many aspects (about confidential births) that people could criticize,” he said in response you will lose contact with the woman who wants to have a confidential birth which will lead her to give birth by herself or lead to an incident "We need people to understand why some women don’t want to reveal their identity when giving birth there is no other way to ensure the safe birth of a baby.” There are still many challenges with providing confidential births They include how to treat information on the birth of a baby who was born from an anonymous mother and cases where the lives of the mother and the baby are in danger during birth Although Hasuda is calling for a legal framework to ensure the hospital can perform confidential births he is pessimistic about the prospect of it being established anytime soon He cited differences between Japan and European countries where confidential births are legally protected and people’s values surrounding them are based on religious beliefs Hasuda also points out that Japanese politicians and the public are not particularly interested in the issue of confidential births “I believe that I have a duty to explain to people the realities concerning confidential births and incidents (of abandoned babies and infanticides).” Hurdles still exist despite progress in confidential birth registration Baby born to anonymous mom should be listed in family register KUMAMOTO--A hospital here said it plans to register a baby without the mother’s name after a woman gave birth anonymously even though it is unclear if the registration made the announcement at a news conference on Feb who lives in western Japan and gave birth in December asked the hospital this month on the premises to register the birth without listing her name The mother wants her baby to be placed into a special adoption system the baby will be happier,” Hasuda said she told the hospital Jikei Hospital introduced its confidential birth system in December 2019 to prevent a mother from giving birth by herself at home that could place both her and the baby in danger Hasuda said at the news conference that the confidential birth system is “for a safe birth and the protection of a baby,” and asked for the public's understanding The system allows a woman who becomes unexpectedly pregnant to give birth by revealing her identity only to a hospital staff member This allows the child to someday learn the identity of his or her mother if they so desire But there is no legal guideline for the system and Kumamoto city officials are advising the hospital to stop allowing confidential births the woman consulted with the hospital in mid-November by email She told hospital staff that she wanted to give birth anonymously because she feared her mother would cut their ties if she found out about the pregnancy She came to the hospital in December to give birth the hospital convinced her to reveal her identity only to a staffer She prepared a document for a special adoption and was released from the hospital The hospital kept in touch with her to confirm her willingness thinking that she showed deep affection for her baby and might change her mind Hasuda said the hospital will register the birth at Kumamoto’s Nishi Ward office without writing the mother’s name in accordance with her wishes The hospital has contacted the Legal Affairs Bureau to ascertain if such an action could be deemed entering a false entry into the Original of Notarized Deeds It is hoping to receive a reply from authorities by the end of the month Hasuda said the hospital will register the birth after checking the reply from the bureau The hospital received copies of the woman’s health insurance card and a high school student ID card and will keep those copies in a safe to guarantee the right of her child to know the birth mother The woman told the hospital that it is ideal for the child to be provided the information about his or her origin when the child is about 18 to 20 years old The hospital is expected to keep in touch with the woman from now on The baby had been sheltered at the hospital since the birth and was transferred to an infant home earlier this month The health ministry has replied to an inquiry from the city government and said the “confidential birth system does not violate an ordinance at first glance.” The Justice Ministry has stated that it is “difficult to answer” if the hospital’s action to register the birth is illegal because it “should be concluded individually by an investigative organization based on collected evidence.” “It is difficult to deny the possibility that the (hospital’s action) has violated the law,” urging the hospital to stop the confidential birth system Jikei Hospital has also operated since 2007 a drop box system to save unwanted newborns that the mother can safely and anonymously leave in the hospital's care Mother-to-be won't reveal her identity to hospital treating her Japanese version please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Japanese version By Takashi Ito / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer KUMAMOTO — Koichi Miyatsu does not remember much about that day when he was left in the “baby hatch” of a Kumamoto hospital he only has a vague memory of “something like a door.” Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto had set up its depository for unwanted babies which it calls Konotori no Yurikago (the stork’s cradle) That was where Koichi would gain a new life and new identity he came to know that the Yurikago system was introduced to allow hospitals to accept and temporarily take care of babies whose parents were unable to raise them He also became aware that the system has been criticized for “encouraging abandonment,” and that 159 children had been left at Jikei so far Koichi graduated from high school and decided to take the opportunity to talk about his experience with the Yurikago I want to convey to people that life after the Yurikago is also important,” Koichi said When the buzzer rang in the nurses’ station at Jikei the staff rushed to the Konotori no Yurikago on the first floor There they found a little boy sitting quietly on top of the incubator for newborns He was wearing a blue jacket with Anpanman The baby hatch is intended to give parents who are unable to take care of their children for whatever reason a means to anonymously leave them in the care of a hospital the assumption was that it would be taking in only babies already a toddler about 1 meter tall and weighing 14 kilograms Kumamoto Prefecture saw a rash of incidences in which infants were abandoned and newborns were killed by being left without care an obstetrician and gynecologist and at that time the Jikei Hospital executive director Can we just let this go on without doing anything Hasuda had just visited Germany in 2004 to observe the baby hatch system set up in that country called Babyklappe He decided to set up a Japanese version and in December 2006 he applied for approval from the Kumamoto City health department to modify part of the hospital building to install a baby hatch According to Hasuda’s oldest son Takeshi the hospital has been most insistent on maintaining the anonymity of the parents “Many criminal cases involving babies arise because women do not want people around them to know that they were pregnant or gave birth,” Takeshi Hasuda said “We thought that if we maintain strict secrecy it gives these people another option rather than killing or abandoning their child.” there was huge opposition among the public “It encourages people to easily abandon children” and “What about the child’s right to know their origin?” were common criticisms the Kumamoto municipal government approved the installation of the baby hatch under a number of conditions including that the children’s safety is assured “I struggled with this until the very last minute,” said Seishi Koyama with the hope that it would be saving lives.” The baby hatch itself has a small door and after opening the person leaving the child will find a letter inside addressed to “to the father/ to the mother.” The message conveys gratitude for coming this far amid their mental struggle It also reads: “We will keep it completely private Koichi was later transferred from the hospital to a child consultation center he was welcomed as a foster child in the home of Yoshimitsu Miyatsu and his wife who run an okonomiyaki restaurant in Kumamoto with their children at ages beyond the need for raising “Would you be able to take in a boy about 3 years old?” the center inquired The boy’s age was somewhat concerning for Yoshimitsu “Just think about how cute you know he will be.” “There’s nothing to worry about,” and gently picked up the child and placed him on his lap but when the couple casually asked him about his parents he froze as if receiving an electric shock As Koichi was not a baby when he was left in the Yurikago he had memories of his “pre-Yurikago” days “He couldn’t really express himself in words but I thought he was going through a lot of emotions the youngest of the five sons was in high school He doted on Koichi like a real older brother and would take him to the 100 yen shop to buy him a toy He was living a normal life with the family and naturally started to call the couple “Mom and Dad.” When there was a news report on Yurikago on TV he received no information about his biological parents Koichi was classified as an “abandoned child,” and Kumamoto City created a new family register for him His name “Koichi” was also provided by the government made up by the characters for “navigation” and “one,” as expressing a wish that the boy would “live as strong as a lone ship sailing the vast ocean.” Upon growing up and becoming able to understand the meaning Information on his pre-Yurikago life finally surfaced when he was in early elementary school “I was the one who left him,” explaining they were driven to come forward by a sense of responsibility the person had the letter addressed to the mother or father that can only be obtained by someone who opens the Yurikago door This resulted in the discovery of Koichi’s real name His actual age almost matched that which had been estimated Also coming to light was the disturbing fact that Koichi’s real mother died in a traffic accident when he was 5 months old “It was as if something that was empty had been filled in,” Koichi said so that’s how it was.’” His birth father remains unknown Koichi visited his birth mother’s grave at a temple in eastern Japan small black stones near the grave as a substitute for her cremated remains and carefully brought them back home Koichi also obtained a photograph of his mother she had a slight wave in her hair and a gentle smile By learning about his life before the Yurikago Koichi came to better knew who he is and started to live with more vitality He reached his goal of breaking 11 seconds in the 100 meters in his third year of high school when he had a personal best of 10.96 seconds In the winter of his second year of high school The Miyatsu family has taken in many other foster children after Koichi Koichi has since last year been enthusiastically involved in a program that provides nutritious meals to underprivileged children for free or a small fee at dining places he prepares lunch for and plays with local children at a church in Kumamoto “I think it is so important for children to have a place to go,” he said having turned 18 and graduated from high school Koichi made the tough decision to reveal his name and talk about his experience related to the Yurikago I am now at an age to take responsibility for what I say so there are things I want to convey in my own words.” In response to Koichi’s straightforward decision Jikei Hospital’s Takeshi Hasuda has concerns that he may become a target of criticism having heard all of the negative opinions about the Yurikago himself “But he gave this much thought and came to the decision,” Hasuda said Koichi began attending a Kumamoto Prefecture university “All I can do is to talk about my experience as a child who actually went through it,” Koichi said “I want people to know that as long as the parent and child have a strong bond this is how a child can develop after the Yurikago.” Sandara Park and Akdong Musician’s Lee Soo Hyun opened a beauty salon on the September 14 Naver V Live broadcast titled “HaSuDa’s Beauty Salon.” The three YG artists shared their beauty tips and showed simple makeup tutorials while in a cafe in Seoul When asked about what makeup application skills they’re most confident about Lee Soo Hyun chose her eyes because they’re difficult to put makeup on but said she has mastered her own techniques Sandara Park chose her lipstick application skills and said even Honey Lee who is her co-star on “Get It Beauty,” acknowledged her skills Lee Hi said she prefers the look of strong eyes with soft lips and said she is good at drawing her eyebrows which she prefers with an arch V Live viewers asked about tips for pimples Sandara shared she uses pimple patches and that when she puts them on “I wipe off my makeup as quickly as possible or try not to put on any makeup,” and also added she uses pimple cream Lee Soo Hyun told viewers not to follow her advice and admitted she can’t leave her zits alone and keeps touching them or popping them one of the female V Live staff members was chosen to get a makeover by the three artists This V Live broadcast was a special event to preview their OnStyle show that is scheduled to air on September 29 Source (1) Japanese version Japanese version 5 Mar 2020MYSTERIOUS 'black rain' falling in Japan has fuelled wild speculation about incinerated coronavirus bodies Strange conspiracy theories have appeared on Twitter in the past week about the soot-coloured black puddles that have appeared in the country on March 2 Read our coronavirus live blog for all the latest news and updates The city of Hasuda in Saitama prefecture was where much of the black rain fell but areas throughout Saitama have also been affected including Ageo Local media outlet Sora24 said that authorities were investigating strange 'black puddles' that had appeared in roads and on cars Using the #blackrain, locals speculated on Twitter that the rain may be the result of mass cremations of coronavirus victims One Twitter user made the very outlandish claim: "Tokyo #BlacKRain speculation about secret mass graves and mass cremations burning the bodies of corona virus." While another wrote: "Now there are reports of #BlackRain falling in #Japan Any possible connection to the #Wuhan #coronavirus I've heard theories that it could be from the #crematoriums in #China.. While another said it might even be North Korea writing: "Didn't North Korea fire missiles on that day?" Others cited a fire that had recently broken out in the area as a cause of the rainfall They wrote: "The black rain in Japan is suspected of being the result of a factory fire in Noda, Chiba Prefecture." Another added: "It was a fire at a plastic factory. There you go!" Locals in Japan were understandably concerned by the black rain after seeing the same rainfall during the Second World War in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bomb attacks. But officials in the city measured the radiation levels and said there was "nothing out of the ordinary". The residual radioactive material in the atmosphere caused black rain to fall in the aftermath of both attacks in 1945, as remembered by witnesses. A reporter from SoraNews24 criticised Hasuda authorities for not including more information online. it’s very unsettling that they were either unaware of the gigantic fire in their own city or didn’t feel it was necessary to mention while people online were speculating about mass-cremations and North Korean missiles." Cases of coronavirus in Japan have exceeded 1,000 with more than 700 of those being from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship currently docked near Tokyo Japan has cancelled many of the iconic cherry blossom festivals with Tokyo Disneyland closed and fears coronavirus could also see the Tokyo Olympics cancelled Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/