Birth control in Japan


Various types of birth control in Japan are available to women either in drugstores, online, or through visiting a clinic. About 80 percent of married women in Japan prefer condoms as their choice of birth control. This leads them to the least amount of embarrassment while taking part in sexual activity. Other forms of birth control such as the morning after pill are available only through visitation of a clinic.
Oral contraceptives, which were legalized in 1999, are not covered by Japanese Health Insurance.

History

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare had begun considering the legalization of birth control pills by the 1960s, but by 1989, they had still not reached a decision. There were concerns that access to birth control pills would reduce condom use, and thereby increase STI rates. There were also concerns about the medication's side effects. In 1999, low dose forms of the pill were approved by the Clinic of Japan Family Planning Association, coinciding with the acceptance of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.