If you think you are pregnent, make an appointment to see an obstetrician and gynecologist（産婦人科 さんふじんか sanfujinka） to confirm your pregnancy.
Pregnency tests are not covered by National Health Insurance. The cost varies depending on your condition and where you go. It can be pretty expensive(around 10, 000 yen). Ask your clinc staff how much you should take when you make a visit.
To find an English speaking specialist in your local area/specific area you want to visit, please refer to "How to find a clinic/hospital for your specific needs" section in when you feel sick on weekdays or contact us from the contact form below.
Pregnant women are requested to tell the local city office after confirming their pregnancy. When the mother reports this news, she will receive a Maternal and Child Health Handbook. This handbook keeps records of prenatal checkups and childrens' physical growth and also provides information about the mother and child's health. This handbook is needed for checkups of the mother and the child and also immunization, so be sure to receive this book when you report your pregnancy. The section of the City Hall to report this varies depending on location, so please check at your local City Hall.
A multilingual Maternal and Child Health handbook is available form the Maternal and Child Health Organization K.K. Handbooks are available in Korean, Chinese, Tagalong, Portuguese, Indonesian and Spanish. You may be able to receive one of these multilingual handbooks free of charge when you report a pregnancy notification at your local city hall. Or you can order them directory from the Maternal and Child Health Organization K.K. Payment method can be either money sent by registered mail, postal money transfers, order-on line and paying cash on delivery. The price of the booklet is 787 yen.
If you make a payment by sending cash by registered mail (現金書留 げんきんかきとめ), write down the language of the booklet, your name, address, contact number and the total price on a paper and include it in the envelope.
By postal money transfers, write down the same information as the registered mail on the transfer sheet. Transfer to 加入者名： 母子保健事業団 / 口座番号： 00110-1-54451
Or buy online at http://www.ecur.co.jp/goodslist_index.html You can pay by cash on delivery.
株式会社母子保健事業団 (Kabushiki Gaisya Boshihokenn Jigyoudann)
Pregnancy is not an illness; so prenatal checkups are not covered by health insurance. However when you report your pregnancy, you can receive a Maternal and Health Handbook and prenatal checkup cards. With these cards you can have free prenatal checkups in local clinics/hospitals. However, if you receive checkups outside your registered town you may have to pay an extra fee.
Prenatal checkups are available from your local obstetrics clinic/hospital. If you have prenatal checkups in a clinic that has no labor and delivery room, an obstetrician in the clinic will introduce you to one. The number of hospitals that have labor and delivery rooms are limited, so you need to make an appointment as early as possible.
AMDA International information center
http://homepage3.nifty.com/amdack/ (available in various languages)
Contact number： 03-5285-8088 （Monday-Friday/ 9:00～17:00）
※Filipino： only Wednesday/ 13:00～17:00
※Portuguese： only available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
※Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
The AMDA International Medical Information Center provides telephone services to foreign residents in Japan in several languages, explains the Japanese health care system and introduces medical facilities with staff who speak the patient's language. English, Portuguese, Spanish, Filipino, Chinese, Thai and Korean speaking staff available. For example, if you are looking for an English speaking obsterician in Bunkyo ward, they will search for a clinic for you and give you the clinic contact details.
Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Medical Information Center (Himawari)
http://www.himawari.metro.tokyo.jp/qq/qq13tomnlt.asp (English Pages available)
TEL：03-5285-8181 (Open everyday 9:00～20:00)
Himawari provides information about medical institutions with staff who speak several languages and provide information about medical and health insurance systems in Japan.
English, Spanish, Chinese, Thai and Korean speaking staff available. They will try to find a medical institution according to your needs (for example, if you are looking for a clinic near your station, a clinic open on holidays or to find a female doctor).
Himawari is also available with a Japanese operator 24 hours a day (automated service after 20:00).
Your local health centre provides parent's classes for expecting parents. These classes give parents information about pregnancy, childbirth and care of a baby. The classes held by the City Health Centre are normally free of charge, but classes are given in Japanese.
The obstetrics department of hospitals provides parent's classes as well, but they are usually not free. The cost varies depending on the hospital.
You will need to register the birth of your baby at City Hall within 14 days of the birth. Even if the parents of a baby are not Japanese, birth registration is compulsory as long as the baby is born in Japan. Also, in that case the baby needs to be registered as an alien within 60 days of birth. Take the birth certificate you received from the hospital, Maternal and Child Health handbook, your health insurance card and hanko with you to your local city hall.
This service by nurses or midwives who visit a patient's house to give guidance is available for newborn mothers. The nurses check the baby's growth and provide information on how to care for newborns. This service is offered by request, so if you wish to have one make an application for your local health center (hoken senta).
Free infant health checkups are provided by public health centers. Free checkup coupons and information about the checkups will be mailed to your house for periodic checkups for your infant. The checkup mailout depends on the ward's system, so will vary depending on location, and will be an age group (e.g. 3 to 4 months). You can then visit the local health center or designated pediatrics for the checkup. Whether you should visit the local health center or the designated pediatric is listed on your checkup coupons. If you are instructed to visit pediatrics, you will need to make an appointment with the pediatric clinic directly.
Your child can get a vaccination of BCG, DTP, polio, rubella and measles free of charge. Depending on the policy of your local health center the diseases to be immunized against may be different. Vaccination coupons and guidelines will be sent to your home. Be careful in scheduling your child's immunization, as some vaccination shots require certain resting periods. Depending on the type of immunization, your child will have either a mass immunization at the local health center or visit designated pediatrics for private immunization. Whether you visit the local health center or designated pediatric is instructed on your vaccination coupons. If you are instructed to visit pediatrics, you will need to make an appointment with the pediatric clinic directly.
If you want to have other kinds of vaccination for your child, for influenza vaccination as example, consult a pediatrician.
Free Medical Care Certificate for Infants is available from your local City Hall. This certificate allows your child to receive treatments and medications at local hospital or pediatrics for free of charge. In 23 wards of Tokyo, it is valid until your child becomes the 3rd grade of Junior High School (15 years old) however it varies depending on your residential area.
