The wait to see the doctor at Japan’s popular fertility clinic Saint Mother Hospital just got longer.
Starting Friday, public health insurance will reimburse 70% of the costs of advanced fertility treatments as part of the government’s attempt to halt a decline in one of the world’s fastest-graying populations.
Atsushi Tanaka, doctor and director of Saint Mother in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, expects more patients at his clinic, already packed with couples seeking treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), which previously cost over ¥500,000 ($4,090) per cycle — more than the average household’s monthly income.