Societal Attitudes Toward Birth Control

Similar to the government’s position towards birth control, Japanese societal attitude regarding contraception often differed—depending on the time period—as well. Although birth control is widely accepted in today’s society, this was not always the case.

Birth control was initially a social taboo during the mid 1910s, due to its affiliation with socialism and women’s liberation, as well as the common belief in the family system. Regardless of whether parents could feed their children, families would strive to give birth to numerous children as they were considered the “greatest blessing of the home.” ³⁶ From this perspective, birth control was a severe threat to the family system that many Taisho families lived in accord with. In fact, Sanger was unwelcomed when she visited Japan before the war, because many interpreted her campaign—advocacy for birth control and women’s reproductive rights—as running counter to their traditional beliefs of the family system. ³⁷

Ryosai Kenbo: “Good Wife, Wise Mother. Photo from Pinterest.

Nevertheless, Kato successfully accumulated societal support for the birth control movement in Japan by associating birth control with a traditional female ideal— “Ryosai Kenbo” (good wife, wise mother). ³⁸ She exerted influence by presenting that although birth control would reduce the number of children within a family, this would help women achieve their role as “Ryosai Kenbo”. Lesser children meant that mothers could nurture and place more focus on each child, further strengthening family ties. Kato's efforts of appealing to traditional beliefs worked; societal attitudes gradually shifted to have a more positive outlook on contraception. Despite that birth control was no longer being regarded as a taboo in society, this attitude frequently changed during the war period as the government implemented several policies—driven by imperialist ambitions—which suppressed the birth control movement.

Imperial Japan Under a Militaristic Government. Photo from TVTropes.

However, Japan’s defeat in World War 2 ended the promotion of “Umeyo, Fuyaseyo”, and the small family ideal was now being welcomed by society. Consequently, abortion became an official policy in post-1945 Japan to limit and regulate births which caused a change in societal attitude towards alternative contraception methods like pills. In 1947, many—including doctors, midwives, and family planners—advocated for abortion, but opposed birth control pills as they adjudged them as a threat to women’s livelihoods, health, and abortion rights. ³⁹ This is because birth control pills appeared at a historically inauspicious time: economic recovery and drug-related scandals dominated the public consciousness, and concerns over Japan’s declining birth rate were beginning to appear.

Contraceptive Methods Used by Japanese Women. Photo from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), pp. 2176, via Mainichi Newspaper.

Societal attitude towards birth control—as exemplified above—frequently changed throughout the course of the birth control movement. Although contraceptive practices are not regarded as taboo as during the earlier years of the Taisho period, the use of birth control pills continued to be predominantly lower than other countries. According to a 1998 survey by the Mainichi Newspaper, the most popular contraceptive method was condoms with 95.1% of unmarried women using them, while 0% of women answered that they use oral contraceptives. ⁴⁰ Thus, although societal attitudes have shifted in a positive direction, the lack of usage of pills highlight prevailing issues surrounding birth control that Japan is yet to overcome — even today.