The young woman was still a minor when she traveled to Jikei Hospital in southern Kumamoto Prefecture. She had not had a single checkup during her pregnancy and was already close to her ninth month.
But she had chosen the right place. In 2007, Jikei Hospital started Japan's first baby hatch — a place where unwanted newborns could be left safely, no questions asked. Now, 14 years later, hospital staff accepted the girl, who didn't want to reveal her full identity. She also wanted her information to be kept from the baby — a possible first case of a confidential birth (when a mother's identity is not disclosed) and an anonymous birth (when a mother's identity is not provided to the child) in Japan.
