Overview

• Two healthy women in their 30s received successful epidural-assisted deliveries in June and July, marking Kochi as the last Japanese prefecture to introduce painless childbirth.
• Under a March agreement, Kochi Prefecture and the university will stage weekly painless childbirth sessions to enhance clinical skills and strengthen educational systems.
• The program initially covers low-risk pregnancies with plans to extend eligibility to medically indicated cases in later phases.
• Kochi’s rollout comes as painless childbirth accounted for 13.8% of births nationwide in 2023 and joins efforts to close gaps caused by obstetrician and anesthesiologist shortages.
• Hospital director Kazuhiko Hanazaki said expanding pain relief options is essential to overcoming demographic challenges and improving maternal choice.