theguardian.com
2023-05-20
The abortion pill is to become available in Japan for the first time after the health ministry approved a drug used to terminate early-stage pregnancies.
Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but consent is usually required from a spouse or partner, and until now a surgical procedure had been the only option.
The ministry said in a notification to healthcare officials on Friday it had approved a drug made by Linepharma.
The British pharmaceutical company filed its product, a two-step treatment of mifepristone and misoprostol, for approval in Japan in December 2021.
Similar medication is available in many countries including France, which first approved the abortion pill in 1988, and the US, where it has been available since 2000.
The approval of the pill to end pregnancies up to nine weeks follows a ministry panel endorsement, which was postponed for a month as thousands of public submissions were made.
The national broadcaster NHK said the total cost of the abortion pill and a medical consultation would be around 100,000 yen (#585). Abortions are not covered by public health insurance.
Surgical abortions can cost between 100,000 yen and 200,000 yen.