Japan's "baby hatch plan" draws PM's criticism

TOKYO, Feb 24 (Reuters) A Japanese hospital's plan to open a ''baby hatch'' where people can anonymously drop off infants they feel unable to care for has been criticised by the prime minister.

Jikei Hospital in the southwestern city of Kumamoto plans to place an incubator-like hatch with access from the outside of the building to allow babies to be dropped off safely. An alarm will alert hospital staff when a baby is placed there.

The plan has been cleared by the Health Ministry after it found there were no legal obstacles.

''I feel very resistant to the idea of creating a system where people can abandon a child anonymously,'' the Sankei Shimbun daily quoted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as telling reporters yesterday.

''It is important to take responsibility as parents for bearing children,'' he said, adding that he felt Japan already had adequate provision for babies whose parents were unable to care for them.

The system, which the hospital calls ''cradle of storks'' is based on a similar facility in Germany. Children left there would be handed over to the local authorities, Kyodo news agency quoted the hospital as saying.

Domestic media have reported that Jikei Hospital, which traces its origins back to a clinic founded by Catholics, aims to discourage abortion, as well as prevent deaths through the abandonment of children.

Official figures show there are about 300,000 abortions a year in Japan, although researchers say the actual incidence is much higher.

Earlier in the week, Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa also expressed doubt about the hospital's plan.

''In one regard it will help sustain lives of infants who might otherwise be lost unnecessarily, but there also are concerns that it might encourage parents to entrust their children to others,'' Kyodo news agency quoted him as saying.

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