Abortion in Japan
This page gives information of type abortion about the country Japan.
See all pages giving information on abortion for particular countries|See all pages giving information about Japan
Contents
Data sources
Abortion data is obtained from Johnston's archive, which in turn relies on a variety of sources. Data is not of high reliability.
Fertility data referenced on this page is drawn from the Human Fertility Database, which is of high reliability. The UN data and the HFD data correlate highly, even though the former is slightly less accurate, so the inconsistency in data sources should not affect broad conclusions. For more detailed fertility data, see the fertility in Japan page.
Qualitative history of relevant events
See Wikipedia:Abortion in Japan.
Year | Event | Postulated effects seen in abortion statistics |
---|---|---|
1869 | abortion was banned nationwide, but punishment was rare except in cases of adultery or death to the mother | |
1880 | ban on abortion was included in the penal code | |
1907 | women could be incarcerated for up to a year for having an abortion; practitioners could be jailed for up to seven. | |
1923 | doctors were granted legal permission to perform emergency abortions to save the mother's life; abortions performed under different, less life-threatening circumstances were still prosecuted. | |
1940 | National Eugenic Law outlined a set of procedures doctors needed to follow in order to get an abortion. | |
1948 | passage of Eugenic Protection Law legalizing abortion and facilitating the provision of family planning services | Likely huge increase, but no pre-1948 data available anyway. |
1996 | replacement of the Eugenic Protection Law by the Maternal Health Protection Law, making abortion illegal except in case the fetus had significant defects or in case of danger to the mother's health | No discernible effect, but probably because the law itself didn't change reality on the ground. |
2006 | abortion was officially made legal conditional to the mother's consent | No discernible effect, but probably because the law itself didn't change reality on the ground. |
Abortion ratio and abortion rate
Year | Abortion ratio | Abortion ratio minus previous year's abortion ratio | Abortion rate | Abortion rate minus previous year's abortion rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
1947 | ||||
1948 | ||||
1949 | 91.3 | 4.9 | ||
1950 | 209.2 | 117.9 | 15.1 | 10.2 |
1951 | 298.6 | 89.4 | 21.3 | 6.2 |
1952 | 401.7 | 103.1 | 36.3 | 15 |
1953 | 571.8 | 170.1 | 47.7 | 11.4 |
1954 | 645.9 | 74.1 | 50.2 | 2.5 |
1955 | 693.4 | 47.5 | 55.5 | 5.3 |
1956 | 696.2 | 2.8 | 53.9 | -1.6 |
1957 | 716.4 | 20.2 | 51.2 | -2.7 |
1958 | 683.9 | -32.5 | 50.6 | -0.6 |
1959 | 677.1 | -6.8 | 48.4 | -2.2 |
1960 | 663.3 | -13.8 | 46.7 | -1.7 |
1961 | 652.6 | -10.7 | 45.3 | -1.4 |
1962 | 610.8 | -41.8 | 42.1 | -3.2 |
1963 | 576.3 | -34.5 | 39.5 | -2.6 |
1964 | 512.5 | -63.8 | 42.1 | 2.6 |
1965 | 462.9 | -49.6 | 33.4 | -8.7 |
1966 | 596 | 133.1 | 31.5 | -1.9 |
1967 | 386.3 | -209.7 | 28.9 | -2.6 |
1968 | 404.6 | 18.3 | 29.1 | 0.2 |
1969 | 393.9 | -10.7 | 28.4 | -0.7 |
1970 | 378.5 | -15.4 | 28 | -0.4 |
1971 | 369.7 | -8.8 | 28.3 | 0.3 |
1972 | 359.4 | -10.3 | 27.8 | -0.5 |
1973 | 334.9 | -24.5 | 26.4 | -1.4 |
1974 | 334.9 | 0 | 25.6 | -0.8 |
1975 | 353.9 | 19 | 25.2 | -0.4 |
1976 | 362.4 | 8.5 | 25 | -0.2 |
1977 | 365.4 | 3 | 24.2 | -0.8 |
1978 | 361.7 | -3.7 | 23.4 | -0.8 |
1979 | 373.6 | 11.9 | 23.2 | -0.2 |
1980 | 379.3 | 5.7 | 22.6 | -0.6 |
1981 | 390.1 | 10.8 | 22.7 | 0.1 |
1982 | 389.5 | -0.6 | 22.5 | -0.2 |
1983 | 376.7 | -12.8 | 21.5 | -1 |
1984 | 381.9 | 5.2 | 21.4 | -0.1 |
1985 | 384.3 | 2.4 | 17.8 | -3.6 |
1986 | 381.7 | -2.6 | 19.8 | 2 |
1987 | 369.6 | -12.1 | 16 | -3.8 |
1988 | 370 | 0.4 | 18.2 | 2.2 |
1989 | 374.5 | 4.5 | 14.9 | -3.3 |
1990 | 373.9 | -0.6 | 17 | 2.1 |
1991 | 356.7 | -17.2 | 16.1 | -0.9 |
1992 | 341.6 | -15.1 | 15.4 | -0.7 |
1993 | 325.5 | -16.1 | 14.6 | -0.8 |
1994 | 294.2 | -31.3 | 14 | -0.6 |
1995 | 289 | -5.2 | 13.4 | -0.6 |
1996 | 280.9 | -8.1 | 13 | -0.4 |
1997 | 283.9 | 3 | 11 | -2 |
1998 | 277 | -6.9 | 11 | 0 |
1999 | 286.4 | 9.4 | 11.3 | 0.3 |
2000 | 286.6 | 0.2 | 11.7 | 0.4 |
2001 | 291.8 | 5.2 | 11.8 | 0.1 |
2002 | 285.4 | -6.4 | ||
2003 | 284.6 | -0.8 | 13 | |
2004 | 271.6 | -13 | ||
2005 | 272.1 | 0.5 | ||
2006 | 252.9 | -19.2 | ||
2007 | 235.5 | -17.4 | ||
2008 | 222.1 | -13.4 | ||
2009 | 212 | -10.1 | ||
2010 | 198.5 | -13.5 | ||
Mean | 406.4306451613 | 1.7573770492 | ||
Median | 369.65 | -2.6 | ||
Standard deviation | 186.4819215856 | 178.0449535548 | ||
Slope for best linear fit (for linear regression) | -5.6067613508 | -0.8574775251 | ||
Multiplier for best logarithmic fit (for logarithmic regression) | 0.9881171583 |
Relation between abortion and fertility
The third and fifth columns (abortion-adjusted birth and fertility measures) are not standard demographic variables but have simply been computed to give a better intuition about the maximum extent to which abortion availability could have directly affected fertility. In particular, note that abortions undertaken in a given year may substitute for a birth next year, so the year-to-year data has some inconsistencies. Also, because detailed age-specific abortion data was not available, the abortion-adjusted TFR does not take into account the age distribution of abortions but simply uses the abortion ratio to adjust the TFR (in the same way as for the CBR), therefore the measure is incorrect.
Year | Crude birth rate (CBR) | Abortion-adjusted crude birth rate (if every abortion had been substituted by a birth) | Total fertility rate (TFR) | Abortion-adjusted total fertility rate (Crude estimate without considering age distribution of mothers undergoing abortions) | Abortion ratio | Abortion rate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1947 | 34.65 | 34.65 | 4.566 | 4.566 | ||
1948 | 33.95 | 33.95 | 4.444 | 4.444 | ||
1949 | 33.42 | 36.471246 | 4.357 | 4.7547941 | 91.3 | 4.9 |
1950 | 28.42 | 34.365464 | 3.672 | 4.4401824 | 209.2 | 15.1 |
1951 | 25.55 | 33.17923 | 3.281 | 4.2607066 | 298.6 | 21.3 |
1952 | 23.6 | 33.08012 | 2.995 | 4.1980915 | 401.7 | 36.3 |
1953 | 21.67 | 34.060906 | 2.713 | 4.2642934 | 571.8 | 47.7 |
1954 | 20.27 | 33.362393 | 2.502 | 4.1180418 | 645.9 | 50.2 |
1955 | 19.58 | 33.156772 | 2.383 | 4.0353722 | 693.4 | 55.5 |
1956 | 18.63 | 31.600206 | 2.236 | 3.7927032 | 696.2 | 53.9 |
1957 | 17.38 | 29.831032 | 2.058 | 3.5323512 | 716.4 | 51.2 |
1958 | 18.18 | 30.613302 | 2.129 | 3.5850231 | 683.9 | 50.6 |
1959 | 17.71 | 29.701441 | 2.061 | 3.4565031 | 677.1 | 48.4 |
1960 | 17.33 | 28.824989 | 2.008 | 3.3399064 | 663.3 | 46.7 |
1961 | 16.99 | 28.077674 | 1.963 | 3.2440538 | 652.6 | 45.3 |
1962 | 17.14 | 27.609112 | 1.974 | 3.1797192 | 610.8 | 42.1 |
1963 | 17.4 | 27.42762 | 2.001 | 3.1541763 | 576.3 | 39.5 |
1964 | 17.81 | 26.937625 | 2.045 | 3.0930625 | 512.5 | 42.1 |
1965 | 18.72 | 27.385488 | 2.145 | 3.1379205 | 462.9 | 33.4 |
1966 | 13.85 | 22.1046 | 1.579 | 2.520084 | 596 | 31.5 |
1967 | 19.49 | 27.018987 | 2.224 | 3.0831312 | 386.3 | 28.9 |
1968 | 18.63 | 26.167698 | 2.127 | 2.9875842 | 404.6 | 29.1 |
1969 | 18.58 | 25.898662 | 2.119 | 2.9536741 | 393.9 | 28.4 |
1970 | 18.8 | 25.92 | 2.129 | 2.9348265 | 378.5 | 28 |
1971 | 19.21 | 26.311937 | 2.153 | 2.9489641 | 369.7 | 28.3 |
1972 | 19.3 | 26.23642 | 2.138 | 2.9063972 | 359.4 | 27.8 |
1973 | 19.35 | 25.830315 | 2.135 | 2.8500115 | 334.9 | 26.4 |
1974 | 18.52 | 24.722348 | 2.04 | 2.723196 | 334.9 | 25.6 |
1975 | 17.14 | 23.205846 | 1.9 | 2.57241 | 353.9 | 25.2 |
1976 | 16.34 | 22.261616 | 1.84 | 2.506816 | 362.4 | 25 |
1977 | 15.5 | 21.1637 | 1.786 | 2.4386044 | 365.4 | 24.2 |
1978 | 14.95 | 20.357415 | 1.774 | 2.4156558 | 361.7 | 23.4 |
1979 | 14.25 | 19.5738 | 1.751 | 2.4051736 | 373.6 | 23.2 |
1980 | 13.57 | 18.717101 | 1.731 | 2.3875683 | 379.3 | 22.6 |
1981 | 13.07 | 18.168607 | 1.726 | 2.3993126 | 390.1 | 22.7 |
1982 | 12.86 | 17.86897 | 1.755 | 2.4385725 | 389.5 | 22.5 |
1983 | 12.72 | 17.511624 | 1.788 | 2.4615396 | 376.7 | 21.5 |
1984 | 12.48 | 17.246112 | 1.8 | 2.48742 | 381.9 | 21.4 |
1985 | 11.92 | 16.500856 | 1.757 | 2.4322151 | 384.3 | 17.8 |
1986 | 11.45 | 15.820465 | 1.719 | 2.3751423 | 381.7 | 19.8 |
1987 | 11.1 | 15.20256 | 1.689 | 2.3132544 | 369.6 | 16 |
1988 | 10.79 | 14.7823 | 1.657 | 2.27009 | 370 | 18.2 |
1989 | 10.2 | 14.0199 | 1.576 | 2.166212 | 374.5 | 14.9 |
1990 | 9.96 | 13.684044 | 1.543 | 2.1199277 | 373.9 | 17 |
1991 | 9.95 | 13.499165 | 1.537 | 2.0852479 | 356.7 | 16.1 |
1992 | 9.8 | 13.14768 | 1.506 | 2.0204496 | 341.6 | 15.4 |
1993 | 9.61 | 12.738055 | 1.464 | 1.940532 | 325.5 | 14.6 |
1994 | 9.98 | 12.916116 | 1.507 | 1.9503594 | 294.2 | 14 |
1995 | 9.55 | 12.30995 | 1.426 | 1.838114 | 289 | 13.4 |
1996 | 9.68 | 12.399112 | 1.43 | 1.831687 | 280.9 | 13 |
1997 | 9.54 | 12.248406 | 1.392 | 1.7871888 | 283.9 | 11 |
1998 | 9.61 | 12.27197 | 1.388 | 1.772476 | 277 | 11 |
1999 | 9.39 | 12.079296 | 1.347 | 1.7327808 | 286.4 | 11.3 |
2000 | 9.49 | 12.209834 | 1.359 | 1.7484894 | 286.6 | 11.7 |
2001 | 9.31 | 12.026658 | 1.336 | 1.7258448 | 291.8 | 11.8 |
2002 | 9.16 | 11.774264 | 1.318 | 1.6941572 | 285.4 | |
2003 | 8.91 | 11.445786 | 1.29 | 1.657134 | 284.6 | 13 |
2004 | 8.81 | 11.202796 | 1.288 | 1.6378208 | 271.6 | |
2005 | 8.43 | 10.723803 | 1.254 | 1.5952134 | 272.1 | |
2006 | 8.67 | 10.862643 | 1.313 | 1.6450577 | 252.9 | |
2007 | 8.64 | 10.67472 | 1.331 | 1.6444505 | 235.5 | |
2008 | 8.66 | 10.583386 | 1.36 | 1.662056 | 222.1 | |
2009 | 8.5 | 10.302 | 1.361 | 1.649532 | 212 |