national

Kumamoto hospital Japan's first to offer adoption service

19 Comments

Fukuda Hospital, an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Kumamoto, has become the first hospital in Japan to offer an adoption service for abandoned young children.

The health ministry said the hospital has arranged two adoptions since May. The hospital is focusing on abused or abandoned children under 6 for adoption, according to Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun.

In Japan, the major issue with adoption agencies is that they receive donations from parents wishing to adopt. However, Fukuda Hospital announced that it will not take any such contributions or donations from the private sector. "We will not allow any dubious money flow in the adoption process. By not taking money, we will increase the transparency and get rid of the business element," Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun quoted the hospital director as saying.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

19 Comments
Login to comment

Is it just me that thinks that Kumamoto is a kick-ass prefecture?

They were the first to have a baby hatch. They allow companies and prefectures to market the Kumamon Bear products freely. Their animal shelters are asking owners of animals if they really tried and spent enough time looking for homes for their pets. The guilt felt by owners have reduced the number of animals needing to euthanized.

Now they're the first to provide adoption services for abandoned children. It's also beautiful and has nice tropical weather. If they had surfable beaches I'd move there in an instant.

21 ( +21 / -1 )

Wish a lot of countries & adoption agencies could do this and remove the business aspect of it, not to mention make it more transparent.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

A student sent a long and well-thought out email to me about Japanese attitudes towards adoptions of non-relatives (earlier in the week we had been discussing this topic in class). According to her, Japanese - and Korean and Chinese - people are so hung up on bloodline that infant adoption will never become common in this country. It's very encouraging to read of Kumamoto's stance. I do believe that this general attitude will soften over time, although it will be out of sheer necessity rather than anything else.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Wonderful. Kumamoto is way ahead of the rest of this country when it comes to childrens welfare.

I hope the other prefectures follow suit promptly.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

In Kumamoto Prefecture, maybe people will not find an abandoned baby on a street less/ After WW II. in Tokyo, mixed babies were often found on streets or coin rockers. First daughter of Mitsubishi owner who whose hasband was UB Ambassader requested one of her mansions returned to her from Govt. Then she create an orphanage house, Elizabeth Thunder Home for these GI and Japanese girlmixed babies. Ther was a story reported, One day, she visited one of orphan because of traffic acciident, she could not visit because only blood relative parents could visit. So, she left note :I came visit you but red devil and green devil (oni) didn't let me see you. The message went to up to then Minister of Justice. He visited hher, apologized and llaws were changed that foster parents can visit their children. Hope other prefectures will encourage smooth adoption.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Infant adoption should be more publicized in Japan. How come there is a huge amount of adult adoption but so few babies can be adopted here? I hope this program is a success so that other prefectures will not hesitate to take their own steps to make it happen as well.

Well done Kumamoto-ken!!!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

According to her, Japanese - and Korean and Chinese - people are so hung up on bloodline that infant adoption will never become common in this country.

Ihave noticed that too, but also have noted that some Japanese families don't even talk to their other "blood relatives" that much. Either from a dispute from some time in the past, or they are just not that close. I think you can see this with the scams that are pulled on the elderly, when they get a call from a "long lost relative" asking for money and they seem to fall for it. Not keeping up contact with relatives can probably lead to something like that happening.

It is a shame that people tend to put so much emphasis on "bloodline" relations. I understand it fully, but it just seems to me that in a country that wants to pride itself on maintaining the bloodline, you see so many cases of family not seeing or speaking to each other. But I guess it is all good, they are of the same bloodline.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Hopefully this leads to increased acceptance of adoption in Japan. Becoming a part of a loving family is infinitely better than kids being shuffled around between orphanages. Sadly I've also heard quite a lot of people state uneducated nonsense about "bloodlines" - ie "But what if the baby is from a bad family? The child will grow up to be bad". Hopefully in the next few decades, other regions here will follow Kumamoto's lead.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Good news. Hope they'll let mixed families adopt.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Total kudos to Kumamoto, and ESPECIALLY taking the business element out of it. I'm sick of the geriatrics in most other prefectures preferring coin laundry and bathroom stall infant bodies to baby hatches, or those SLIGHTLY more enlightened prefectures that adopt baby hatches for political purposes but strap on cameras so they can chase the parents down after they abandon the child. There are many, many couples who for whatever reason cannot physically have a baby -- so let them have one this way. Beats reading about how the parents kill the child because it won't stop crying, or whatever the reason of the day is.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

According to her, Japanese - and Korean and Chinese - people are so hung up on bloodline that infant adoption will never become common in this country.

Adoption was extremely common in Japan until the late 40's, for babies, children and adults. There were no formalities for babies under one year old. Adopting parents would go to pick up a baby at the place where the mother delivered, then they'd register the baby as theirs. The mid-wifes were acting as omiai, presenting families that wanting kids to those that had too many. A total contrast with the process now, as couples wait years, get investigated like criminals, even pass tests, to be allowed or not to adopt. Koreans no idea. For Chinese I think they always were very open to it. I've met Japanese people that were adopted by Chinese families in the end of the war chaos when some Japanese children were left behind. Later in the 80's they were able to recontact Japanese families that thought they were dead.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Kumamoto is indeed ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to child welfare. A lot of it is because of the efforts of the staff at a facility called "Jiai-en". The former Governor of Kumamoto, Yoshiko Shiotani has dedicated her life to this cause. (Along with her husband Yoshikazu.) The present staff carries on that tradition.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Although it's rare, I've known several foreign couples who successfully adopted Japanese babies in Japan, and they all ended up leaving Japan because of the uncomprehending or unaccepting attitudes of the people around them, and not wanting their children to grow up in such an environment. This sort of thing would not be an issue in Japanese/Japanese adoptions. Why won't Japanese couples accept this?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It is important to remember that this program was initiated by the hospital itself, not the government. Both of my children were born at Fukuda Byoin, so I am quite familiar with it.

When my daughter was born - three days late at 2:00 AM - the same obstetrician who had delivered my son two years previously had left word that she was to be called if we came in even though she was not on duty. Thus, both were birthed by the same caring doctor (which, I suppose, was more important to my wife than to them).

I have had the pleasure to work for Dr. Fukuda on several occasions and remain deeply impressed at the humanity and kindness shown by him and his wife. That such a program would be started by this hospital does not surprise me.

<Fukuda-HP.or.jp>

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I've known several foreign couples who successfully adopted Japanese babies in Japan, and they all ended up leaving Japan because of the uncomprehending or unaccepting attitudes of the people around them,

Because they were racially different from parents ? Those (Japanese or zainichi) that I know adopted same "race" children for what that means, but surely they can pass for their natural kids. Nobody seems to give a damn, probably for the good reason that the vague acquaintances are not told. That's like living in couple without being married. You simply don't tell it to the neighbors.

Why won't Japanese couples accept this?

Accept what ? Very few children are available for full adoption, and they all find families. There are waiting lists, and yes, that's at the point parents are ready to pay bribes and make any charity donations to get better chances. The babies in Kumamoto would have been adopted anyway, but maybe the process will be better. That doesn't really put more children into families. All the cases of acquaintances that would want children and can't have them cannot adopt fully. When they were younger, they thought they could have natural children. They have past the age or they will before the screening process is over and they get in decent place on the waiting list. Then you will tell me that there are 30 000 children in Japanese orphanages, but they cannot legally be fully adopted.

Beats reading about how the parents kill the child because it won't stop crying, or whatever the reason of the day is.

Yes. The problem is a 2 month old baby taken away from a couple that nearly killed him will never be legally adoptable, and nobody in his natural family will ever become an able parent, so he is condemned to life in orphanage till he's 18. It's normal they don't put to adoption a child that is there for a while as parents have illnesses or financial hardships, but I don't understand the utility of maintaining official family ties in case of abuse or voluntary neglect. Judges should be able to declare that the abused kids, or the kids abandoned over a year for no reasons, no longer have ties with the parents and become adoptable.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Because they were racially different from parents?

Yes, that's what I meant. The couples in question hailed from N.America/Canada, Australia, and N. Europe, and all had resided long-term in Japan. None of them were of Japanese descent, although I've heard of overseas Nikkei families being matched with Japanese babies.

Very few children are available for full adoption, and they all find families.

Of several Japanese couples I know who had considered adoption and even started the interview process, some simply couldn't agree to go through with accepting a non-related child into their home (a typical scenario is when the wife is keen, but the husband isn't, or other relatives disagree strongly with the idea). One lady flunked out when she was asked "could you adopt a black child?" and her answer was a vehement "no."

I am well aware that there are many children living in long term care in children's homes, because they have a living parent who will not relinquish custody to the state.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is really great. I wish other prefectures would do the same thing. Rather than killing off the next generation of Japanese, the government should put in the infrastructure to raise children that no one seems to want nowadays.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Fabulous. I will talk to my husband, because I have asked so many times on Japantoday how I can adopt a Japanese child who has been abandoned or abused.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I've known several foreign couples who successfully adopted Japanese babies in Japan, and they all ended up leaving Japan because of the uncomprehending or unaccepting attitudes of the people around them

I know a caucasian couple who adopted twice from Japan. They have made a loving home for the kids back in the states. While here, the mother told of being stopped in public places and being asked "who was she keeping the kids for" or that the kids weren't "full" Japanese since no one would allow them to be adopted by Westeners. But they did it and are raising two fine kids, and while they were here let them go to a Japanese school. Kids seem to have adjusted to life in the states and are typical American kids.

I have heard of stories of how adoptions were done in the past, how a shogun took in the children of someone else and put them under their family registry. I am not sure why the attitude change in Japan after the war.

Nobody seems to give a damn, probably for the good reason that the vague acquaintances are not told.

If only more people would get that attitude especially the ones running the process and make it easier. As I stated, I can see some family influences that may not be happy, but I have seen family members (1st cousins/brothers and sisters)not have contact with each other, and they live in the same city. Why worry about a bloodline, if your biological blood relatives don't speak?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites