| Date | Event related to our Baby Box, Kōnotori no Yurikago |
Date | Major event in Kumamoto, Japan or world affairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st May 2004 | Dr. Taiji Hasuda, the previous Director of Jikei Hospital, travels to Germany on an observation tour. There, he visits four Babyklappen, or Baby Boxes. | ||
| 2005~2006 | Three incidents of infanticide or infant abandonment occur in Kumamoto. | 26th September 2006 | The First Abe Cabinet is formed. |
| 9th November 2006 | Jikei Hospital announces its plan to establish a Baby Box called Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 12th December 2006 | Jikei Hospital submits an application to Kumamoto City for planning permission to modify hospital facilities in preparation for the establishment of the Baby Box. | ||
| 4th February 2007 | Jikei Hospital petitions Kumamoto City to make a swift decision on planning permission. | ||
| 22nd February 2007 | Seishi Kohyama, the then-Mayor of Kumamoto City, travels to Tokyo and presses the national government for a formal answer on the legality of Baby Boxes. | ||
| The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare states its opinion that "the establishment of a Baby Box cannot be said to be against the law in its current state." | |||
| 23rd February 2007 | Prime Minister Shinzō Abe voices his strong opposition to the Baby Box, stating "I have serious reservations about the use of the name post." (n.b. the Baby Box is known as the 'baby post box' in Japanese.) | ||
| 1st March 2007 | In light of comments made by the Prime Minister, the Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare indicates his understanding that there is no change in the Ministry's interpretation of the law as previously conveyed to Kumamoto City. | ||
| 6th March 2007 | Yoshiko Shiotani, then-Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, expresses her support for the establishment of a Baby Box. | ||
| 7th March 2007 | Prime Minister Abe stated, "It would be inappropriate for the government of Japan to give its endorsement to this proposal," in regard to the establishment of the Baby Box. | ||
| 8th March 2007 | The Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare expresses his intention not to give a written answer to the question of the legality of Baby Boxes. | ||
| 12th March 2007 | The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare states that it will pass judgement on the legality of Baby Boxes on a case-by-case basis. | ||
| 16th March 2007 | In an interview published in the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, Mayor Kohyama gave his support for the establishment of Baby Boxes, declaring that "we are in an era where (Baby Boxes) are needed in Japan." | ||
| 20th March 2007 | Jikei Hospital sends a written response to Kumamoto City concerning the legal issues surrounding the establishment of a Baby Box. | ||
| 5th April 2007 | Kumamoto City gives permission for the establishment of a Baby Box. | ||
| 12th April 2007 | Construction work begins on Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 1st May 2007 | Construction of Kōnotori no Yurikago is completed. | ||
| 10th May 2007 | 15:05 Operation of Kōnotori no Yurikago commences. On the same day, a boy of around three years old is placed in the box. | ||
| 17th May 2007 | Kumamoto City decides to publish an annual report on the number of infants left in Kōnotori no Yurikago over the previous twelve months. | ||
| 12th June 2007 | A male infant is placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago, thus becoming the second child entrusted to Jikei Hospital. | ||
| 15th June 2007 | A male infant becomes the third child to be placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 5th July 2007 | A newborn baby girl is placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago, bringing the total to four children left. | ||
| 8th August 2007 | A male infant is placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago, becoming the fifth child to be entrusted. However, his parents return to collect him on the 17th August. | ||
| 16th April 2008 | Ikuo Kabashima assumes the office of Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture. | ||
| 16th August 2007 | A male infant becomes the sixth child to be placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 20th May 2008 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that seventeen children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2007 Fiscal Year (1st April 2007~31st March 2008). | ||
| 23rd August 2008 | A male infant becomes the seventh child to be placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 19th September 2008 | An expert committee charged with carrying out short-term inspections of Kōnotori no Yurikago holds its first meeting. | ||
| 30th September 2008 | A male infant becomes the eighth child to be placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 3rd October 2008 | The first short-term inspection is carried out by the expert committee. | ||
| 25th October 2008 | Kumamoto City publishes the results of the short-term inspection. | ||
| 26th November 2008 | The Kōnotori no Yurikago Inspection Committee publishes its final report (first term). | ||
| 1st May 2009 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that twenty-five children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2008 Fiscal Year (1st April 2008~31st March 2009). | 1st November 2009 | The German Ethics Council recommends abolishing the Babyklappen in Germany, instead proposing the establishment of confidential births. |
| 1st May 2010 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that fifteen children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2009 Fiscal Year (1st April 2009~31st March 2010). | 1st April 2010 | Kumamoto City establishes a Child Guidance Office in preparation for its transition into a government ordinance city in 2012. |
| 11th Match 2011 | The Great East Japan Earthquake occurs. | ||
| 1st May 2011 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that eighteen children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2010 Fiscal Year (1st April 2010~31st March 2011). | 12th March 2011 | The entire length of the Kyushu Shinkansen is opened. |
| 1st November 2011 | Kōnotori no Yurikago is moved from its original position to the new Obstetrics and Gynecology Ward. | ||
| 1st May 2012 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that eight children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2011 Fiscal Year (1st April 2011~31st March 2012). | ||
| 1st May 2013 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that nine children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2012 Fiscal Year (1st April 2012~31st March 2013). | ||
| 1st May 2014 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that nine children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2013 Fiscal Year (1st April 2013~31st March 2014). | ||
| 20th January 2012 | The design of the door to the Kōnotori no Yurikago is changed so that parents cannot place their child in Kōnotori no Yurikago cannot until they have taken the letter addressed to them from inside the box. | ||
| 29th March 2012 | The Kōnotori no Yurikago Inspection Committee publishes its inspection report (second term). The report highlights the ease of leaving children in the box. | ||
| 1st November 2013 | Japanese television broadcaster TBS broadcast the drama Kōnotori no Yurikago - The Futures of the 92 Lives Saved in the Six Years of the Baby Box. | ||
| 1st January 2014 | Japanese television broadcaster Nippon TV starts broadcasting the drama Asu, Mama ga Inai (Tomorrow, Mother Will Not Be Here). | ||
| 22nd May 2014 | The usage status of the Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2013 Fiscal Year (1st April 2013~31st March 2014) is released. The total number of children placed in the Baby Box passes 100. | ||
| 26th September 2014 | The Kōnotori no Yurikago Inspection Committee publishes its inspection report (third term). The report highlights that 10% of children placed in the Baby Box have a disability. | ||
| 3rd October 2014 | The body of a young boy is placed in the Baby Box. The boy's mother (31) was arrested on suspicion of corpse abandonment. | ||
| 3rd December 2014 | Kazushi Onishi assumes the office of Mayor of Kumamoto City. | ||
| 1st April 2015 | Japanese state broadcaster NHK runs a piece entitled Lives Entrusted in a Box - 100 Babies and their Futures on its Today's Close-Up show, and a special on ETV called Little Batons of Life. | ||
| 1st May 2015 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that eleven children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2014 Fiscal Year (1st April 2014~31st March 2015). | ||
| 1st May 2015 | The usage status of the Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2014 Fiscal Year (1st April 2014~31st March 2015) is released. It is noted that very low birth weight babies, weighing 1500g or less, were among the children placed in the Baby Box. | ||
| 1st December 2015 | A Chinese couple place their one-year-old child with a severe congenital disorder. | ||
| 14th April 2014 | The Kumamoto Earthquake occurs. | ||
| 28th April 2016 | The first Angel Kodomo Shokudo (Angel Children's Canteen) is held. | ||
| 1st May 2016 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that thirteen children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2015 Fiscal Year (1st April 2015~31st March 2016). | ||
| 19th July 2016 | In the usage status of the Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2015 Fiscal Year (1st April 2015~31st March 2016), it is discovered that people living overseas had placed their child in the Baby Box. | ||
| 1st June 2016 | A revision is made to the Child Welfare Act. Article 2 of the revised Child Welfare Act explicitly mentions the rights of children. | ||
| 1st May 2017 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that five children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2016 Fiscal Year (1st April 2016~31st March 2017). | ||
| 1st June 2017 | NHK runs a piece entitled Where Are My Biological Parents? - Baby Box in Ten Years on its Today's Close Up show. | ||
| 23rd September 2017 | The Kōnotori no Yurikago Inspection Committee publishes its inspection report (fourth term). It states that there is a limit to anonymity and that relevant authorities need to assure the right of children to know their origins. | ||
| 1st December 2017 | Jikei Hospital announces that it will examine the feasibility of carrying out confidential births. | ||
| 14th April 2018 | Jikei Hospital hosts an international symposium on the topic of Baby Boxes in Kumamoto City. | ||
| 1st May 2018 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that seven children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2017 Fiscal Year (1st April 2017~31st March 2018). | ||
| 18th March 2019 | Jikei Hospital begins mediation and agency for plenary adoption. | ||
| 1st May 2019 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that seven children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2018 Fiscal Year (1st April 2018~31st March 2019). | ||
| 1st May 2019 | Kumamoto City announces that a total of 144 children had been placed in the Baby Box from its inception to March 2019. | 1st May 2019 | The Reiwa Era starts. |
| 1st June 2019 | Dr. Hasuda visits the Baby Box in South Africa on an observation tour. | ||
| 1st December 2019 | Jikei Hospital announces that it will accept confidential births on its own accord. | ||
| 30th January 2020 | Dr. Hasuda visits the Baby Box in the Republic of Korea on an observation tour. | ||
| 1st May 2020 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that eleven children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2019 Fiscal Year (1st April 2019~31st March 2020). | ||
| 18th June 2020 | The first Angel Room at Jikei Hospital is opened. | 16th January 2020 | The first case of COVID-19 in Japan is reported. |
| 1st September 2020 | It is discovered during an inspection in the second half of the 2019 Fiscal Year that a baby was left outside of the Baby Box. | 1st September 2020 | The First Suga Cabinet is formed. |
| 25th October 2020 | Dr. Taiji Hasuda, the Director of Jikei Hospital and founder of Kōnotori no Yurikago, passes away. | ||
| 1st December 2020 | The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare indicates to Kumamoto City that Jikei Hospital requires administrative guidance on the topic of confidential births, noting that "it is not something that will immediately violate the law." | ||
| 1st August 2020 | Kumamoto City requests that Jikei Hospital refrain from carrying out confidential births. | ||
| 1st May 2021 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that four children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2020 Fiscal Year (1st April 2020~31st March 2021). | ||
| 29th June 2021 | The Kōnotori no Yurikago Inspection Committee publishes its inspection report (fifth term). It highlights the possibility that there may be cases of mothers giving birth in isolation with the intention of placing their baby in the Baby Box. | 21st June 2021 | The first trial in the case of Le Thi Thuy Linh, a Vietnamese technical intern trainee accused of abandoning the corpses of her stillborn twin boys, is held. |
| 23rd July 2021 | The delayed Games of the XXXII Olympiad, otherwise known as the 2020 Olympics, are held in Tokyo. | ||
| 1st October 2021 | Jikei Hospital takes into protective custody a woman who wishes to give birth anonymously. | 4th October 2021 | The First Kishida Cabinet is formed. |
| 1st November 2021 | The women under the protection of Jikei Hospital gives birth. She retracts her wish to remain anonymous. | ||
| Kumamoto City informs Jikei Hospital that it will not carry out administrative guidance in preparation for the implementation of confidential births. | |||
| Jikei Hospital requests direct guidance from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. | |||
| The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare replies to Jikei Hospital, stating that it would be difficult for the state to offer guidance directly to individual hospitals. | 30th November 2021 | The first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Japan is reported. | |
| 4th January 2022 | Jikei Hospital announces that a teenage girl wishing to remain anonymous gave birth in the hospital in December of the previous year. In a press conference, Jikei Hospital stated that it understood the birth to be a confidential birth. | ||
| 13th January 2022 | Jikei Hospital submits written questions concerning the creation of a family register in the case of confidential births to Kumamoto District Legal Affairs Bureau. | ||
| 4th February 2022 | The woman who gave birth anonymously confirms her intention not to raise her child herself. This marks the first such instance of since the introduction of confidential births at Jikei Hospital. | 4th February 2022 | The XXIV Olympic Winter Games, otherwise known as the 2022 Winter Olympics, are held in Beijing. |
| 10th February 2022 | Kumamoto District Legal Affairs Bureau replies to Jikei Hospital's written questions, stating that a family register can be created as long as the date of birth and birthplace of child is known. | ||
| 18th February 2022 | Jikei Hospital and the relevant authorities reached an agreement on a policy concerning the creation of family registers using the authority of the Mayor of Kumamoto City. | 24th February 2022 | Russia launches a military invasion of Ukraine, referred to as a 'special military operation' by Russia,. |
| 25th February 2022 | Takeshi Hasuda, the Director of Jikei Hospital, appears in front of the Budget Committee of the House of Councillors and gives an expert testimony. | ||
| 26th March 2022 | Koichi Miyatsu publicly reveals that he was placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago. | ||
| 1st May 2022 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that two children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2021 Fiscal Year (1st April 2021~31st March 2022). | ||
| 11th May 2022 | Jikei Hospital announces that it has carried out a second confidential birth. | ||
| 8th June 2022 | Kumamoto City makes a proposal to the Japanese government concerning the establishment of an official government body to store and manage information concerning children's origins and pregnancy counselling centers. | ||
| 4th July 2022 | The first baby born via confidential birth is entrusted to foster parents. | ||
| 21st July 2022 | Jikei Hospital announces that it has carried out a third confidential birth. | 8th July 2022 | Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is assassinated. |
| 5th August 2022 | Jikei Hospital announces that it has carried out two further confidential births. | ||
| 22nd August 2022 | Three more Angel Rooms are established in Jikei Hospital, taking the total number of rooms to four. | ||
| 29th September 2022 | Medical Corporation Morgenrot announces its intention to establish a Baby Box in Tokyo. | ||
| 30th September 2022 | The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Justice issue official guidelines concerning confidential births. | ||
| 4th October 2022 | Dr. Hasuda hands over an open letter of inquiry to Chiba Prefecture. | ||
| 6th October 2022 | Jikei Hospital announces that it has carried its sixth and seventh confidential births. | ||
| 2nd December 2022 | Mayor Onishi announces that Kumamoto City will establish a pregnancy counselling center. | ||
| 18th January 2023 | Dr. Hasuda makes a request to Kumamoto City for the establishment of an investigative committee to identify issues surrounding 'the right to know one's origins' and coordinate solutions to those issues. | ||
| 30th January 2023 | Dr. Hasuda visits the Baby Box in Hokkaido on an observation tour. | ||
| 4th February 2023 | Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun hosts a symposium called 'The Place of Life - Fifteen Years of Yurikago'. | ||
| 15th March 2023 | Kumamoto City Child Guidance Office announces its intention to carry out a fact-finding survey to ascertain the extent to which fosterers of the children placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago have told the children of their origins. | 1st April 2023 | Kumamoto City establishes the Ninshin Naimitsu Sodan Center (Confidential Pregnancy Consultation Center). |
| 1st May 2023 | Kumamoto Prefecture reports that nine children were placed in Kōnotori no Yurikago in the 2021 Fiscal Year (1st April 2022~31st March 2023). | ||
| 9th May 2023 | Jikei Hospital revealed that it received 2799 consultations concerning pregnancy and childbirth in the 2022 Fiscal Year. This marks a 40% decrease in comparison to the previous year. | 8th May 2023 | COVID-19 is reclassified as a class 5 infectious disease in Japan. Putting it on the same level as seasonal influenza. |
| 17th May 2023 | Dr. Hasuda urges Kumamoto City to carry out a study into the current situation in orphanages and infant homes in Kumamoto Prefecture. | 14th May 2023 | Kumamoto City revealed it that 1005 consultations concerning pregnancy and childbirth in the 2022 Fiscal Year. This is the largest recorded number of consultations since records began in 2007. |
| 31st May 2023 | Kumamoto City and Jikei Hospital jointly establish an investigative committee on the topic of 'the right to know one's origins'. | ||
| 17th June 2023 | Kumamoto University hosts a symposium on the topic of confidential births and the right to know one's origins. | ||
| 28th June 2023 | The Kumamoto City Ninshin Naimitsu Sodan Center announces that it has received 53 consultations from within and without the city since its establishment in April. | ||
| 9th October 2023 | Dr. Hasuda travels to France on an observation tour of the confidential birth system there. | ||
| 1st January 2024 | The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurs. | ||
| 10th January 2024 | Jikei Hospital sends a relief team to Ishikawa Prefecture in the wake of the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. |