Editorial

13:59 JST, January 27, 2025

The Tokyo metropolitan government will begin subsidizing pain-managed childbirth, which uses anesthesia to ease the pain of giving birth, as part of measures to tackle the declining birth rate.

However, there are many issues to be addressed, including a shortage of anesthesiologists. A system must be established that allows people to give birth with peace of mind.

Pain-managed childbirth is said to reduce the anxiety and stress of women during their delivery, as well as reduce postpartum fatigue and speed up the mother’s physical recovery.

In recent years, the rising age of women giving birth has increased the need for this type of delivery, and it now accounts for over 10% of all births in Japan. It is common in Europe and the United States — pain-managed births account for 70%-80% of overall childbirths in the United States and France.

Starting in October, the........

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