Paper short abstract:

Recent data shows that suicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant women and new mothers. This paper will report on community programmes in several municipalities in Osaka that provide new mothers with counselling and information aimed to prevent depressive disorders and child abuse.

Paper long abstract:

Japan, the first country to have a 'super-ageing' population, faces serious concerns about child raising. The challenges of raising a child are compounded when the young generation has had no chance to observe others' experiences of childbirth and childcare. Rather, they are faced with a sudden lifestyle and environment challenge of isolated baby raising. The leading cause of death among pregnant women and new mothers from 2015 through 2016 in Japan was suicide, making up about 30 percent of the total, according to a survey by the National Center for Child Health and Development and other research institutes. The women apparently killed themselves because of postnatal depression, according to a survey showing a nationwide incidence of suicide among by women in pregnancy or shortly after childbirth. The reasons for the suicides are considered to be varied but pregnancy and delivery are major events for a family and understandably generate worry. The health ministry of Japan launched a new program in the fiscal year of 2017 to provide financial support to municipal governments offering health check-ups and counselling by clinical psychologists two-weeks and again at one month after childbirth in a bid to prevent postnatal depression or child abuse. Many new facilities and programmes have started providing new mothers a chance to meet other mothers, share their concerns and experiences and obtain information. Based on participant observation in several municipalities throughout Osaka, this paper will report on various community programmes targeting different groups of mothers. Available programmes and activities vary by municipalities and some mothers may select which city in which to reside based on the availability of community support programmes. This suggests that community support in one's neighbourhood may have greater significance than support of extended family members in modern Japanese society.