A hospital has authorized freezing the eggs of four women for future pregnancies, paving the way for Japan's first municipality-subsidized ova freezing aimed at combating population decline, sources say.
The city of Urayasu in Chiba Prefecture plans to budget ¥90 million for subsidies over three years through March 2018 to help female residents preserve their eggs for future pregnancy attempts.
The Urayasu Municipal Government began egg-freezing research in July 2015 jointly with Juntendo University's Urayasu Hospital in the hope of slowing population decline.