ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the reproductive rights of women in Japan in the context of the falling birth rate, the high rate of abortion among younger women and the coexistence of a penal code for abortion with the Maternal Protection Act allowing women to have abortion under certain circumstances. In particular, the chapter questions whether Japanese women have control over their own bodies by exploring how women’s choices to have children or not are influenced by state policies and existing gender disparities in terms of family responsibilities, childcare and employment.
