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Paper short abstract

This presentation explores the complex dynamics of surrogacy and egg donation in contemporary Japan. It identifies key agencies involved in these processes, analyzes the services they offer, and presents preliminary findings from interviews with individuals utilizing or contemplating these services.

Paper long abstract

This paper introduces a new project that investigates the complex legal and social dynamics surrounding surrogacy and egg donation in Japan, which generally exist in tension between hyper-libertarian ideologies of choice and critiques regarding the exploitation and commodification of women's bodies. The study seeks to highlight the intricacies of women's choices within a context marked by neoliberal and increasingly transhumanist discourses of self-responsibility, as well as the implications of reproductive technologies embedded in pronatalist policies in contemporary Japan.

Despite the Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology's opposition to surrogacy and egg donation, resulting in a de facto limitation on both practices, there is no legal framework that either legalizes or prohibits them. The 2020 “Act on Assisted Reproductive Technology” has not provided any clarification, despite consistent demands of researchers and activist groups. It reinstates that a woman who gives birth, regardless of genetic contribution, is recognized as the child's mother, potentially expanding the scope for egg donation while, at least officially, continuing to restrict surrogacy. Nevertheless, there has been a noticeable rise in transnational agencies offering a range of reproductive services, including surrogacy, to the Japanese public.

In this presentation, I will address the ongoing debates and research related to this ambiguous situation, identify agencies involved and their services, and present initial findings from interviews with individuals using or considering these services as “customers” or “vendors.”

The research employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), informed by Foucault’s theories on power and knowledge, which are valuable for understanding how language and discourse contribute to the governance of individuals and populations. Simultaneously, it critiques these very theories and postmodern concepts regarding bodies and materiality as they relate to the phenomenon of transnational surrogacy and egg donation.