It has been eight years since the start of the so-called “baby hatch” in Kumamoto. It is the only such facility in Japan. Here’s a paragraph from the Wikipedia “Baby hatch” page:
“In Japan, abandoning a baby is normally punished with up to five years in prison. In 2006 officials at Jikei Hospital applied to Kumamoto Prefecture government, Kumamoto city and other offices before opening a baby hatch were told that it would not count as abandonment, as the baby is under the hospital’s protection. However, the Japanese ministry of health, labour and welfare would not comment on the issue, apart from saying that there was no precedent.”
