The number of unwanted babies dropped off at Jikei Hospital's so-called baby hatch reached 11 in fiscal 2014 — topping 10 for the first time in four years, the city of Kumamoto has said.
The hospital, in Kumamoto Prefecture, opened the Konotori no Yurikago (Stork Cradle) in 2007 as a safe option for parents who feel they can't raise their children.
The hatch has been criticized as a way to encourage the abandonment of babies, but supporters see it as a way to reduce abortion rates and save the lives of infants who cannot be cared for.