The Silent Treatment: The Social Construction of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Japan

Abstract

Japan is one of the most active users of ART in the world. Infertile women in Japan have shared a complex relationship with the technology due to paternalistic and pronatalist influences. ART has given a means for the medical and government institutions to exercise control over women’s reproductive choices. While ART has been noted for its ability to subvert traditional notions of kinship based on blood and genetics, government and medical influence has constrained ART usage to preserve the traditional nuclear family model. This study draws on qualitative interviews with various stakeholders to investigate how the introduction of Assisted Reproductive Technology has changed the experience of infertility for women in Japan. This study also explores how infertile laypersons shape the knowledge around infertility and the use of ART.