Baby basket prepared on the first floor of Tokyo Sanikukai Hospital. Screenshot from the hospital's YouTube channel.
As a result of installing a "baby box" at a hospital in Japan for people who are unable to raise their children, it has been confirmed that a newborn baby was actually entrusted to the facility. While baby boxes exist in Japan at religious or social welfare organizations, as in Korea, it is extremely rare for a hospital to operate one.
On May 1, NHK reported, "One month since the launch of the 'Baby Post' in Tokyo, a baby has actually been entrusted." The Baby Post (known as baby box in Korea) is a system that allows parents to anonymously and safely entrust newborns they cannot raise. In Japan, this system was first introduced at Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto City in 2007, and Tokyo's Sanikukai Hospital in Sumida Ward began operating the country's second facility at the end of March.
Baby basket set up on the first floor of Tokyo Sanikukai Hospital. Screenshot from the hospital's YouTube channel.
Sanikukai Hospital began operating its baby post under the name "Baby Basket." At the same time, the hospital introduced "confidential childbirth," which allows pregnant women to give birth anonymously outside of medical institutions. The hospital also created a dedicated website for these services. Both systems are the second such cases at medical institutions nationwide, following the hospital in Kumamoto City. At Jikei Hospital, 179 newborns had been entrusted to the baby box as of 2023.
NHK reported that during the first month after the program began, there were several consultations and inquiries regarding confidential childbirth, and it was revealed for the first time through hospital interviews that a newborn had actually been entrusted to the Baby Basket. Although the specific number of cases was not disclosed, according to the hospital, there were no cases in which the baby's health was at risk, and in some instances, a note believed to have been left by the parents was found with the baby.
Pastor Jongrak Lee, who runs Jusarang Community, embraces the baby from Dropbox in the documentary film poster "Dropbox"
The hospital director stated, "I am relieved that the baby is alive, and I am grateful that someone came to entrust the child. There are many people who are driven to the edge and cannot even consult with close family members." He added, "As cases of baby abandonment continue to occur, society as a whole must consider how to respond. Above all, I hope people will not struggle alone and will seek counseling." The hospital provides anonymous telephone counseling for concerns related to pregnancy or childbirth and urges people to contact them if they have any anxieties.
According to Jusarang Community, a foundation that operates a baby box in Korea, 2,148 babies were entrusted to the baby box between its launch in 2009 and June of last year. Of these, 1,646 biological parents received counseling after leaving their children, and 295 babies were able to live with their biological parents thanks to counseling and encouragement. The documentary film "Dropbox," which covers the baby box at this facility, was released in 2015 and drew significant attention both domestically and internationally.
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