Japan’s health ministry will decide whether to make the abortion pill available for the first time after the proposal cleared a key hurdle with approval by a government panel on Friday.
Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but surgical procedures are currently the only option and consent is usually required from the partner or partners.
Abortion pills for early pregnancy
The British pharmaceutical company Linepharma applied to Japanese health authorities in December 2021 for the approval of an abortion pill, which can be used in early pregnancy.
Similar treatments are available in many countries including France, which first approved the abortion pill in 1988, and the United States, where it has been available since 2000.
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A ministry official told AFP that a panel of experts had reviewed the proposal and “there was no problem in approving it”.
Japanese media reports say the drug could become legal for prescriptions as early as March.
The government will first seek various opinions and consult a higher-level review board because of “high public interest in the matter”, the ministry official said.
The morning-after pill
A surgical abortion is not covered by Japanese public health insurance and can cost around 100,000 to 200,000 yen ($800 to $1,500). Late stage terminations are sometimes more expensive.
A campaign in Japan is also pushing for better access to the morning-after pill, which prevents pregnancy.
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Emergency contraception cannot currently be purchased without a doctor’s approval in Japan. It is also the only drug that must be taken in front of a pharmacist to avoid being sold on the black market.