PROSPECTS FOR INCREASED CONTRACEPTIVE PILL USE IN JAPAN

Although oral contraceptives are not commercially available in Japan, a low-dose contraceptive pill is expected to become available soon. The current rate of pill use is less than 1 percent, but recent survey data indicate that about 10 percent of currently married women of reproductive age intend to use the pill when it comes on the market. Those who favor the pill do so because it is highly effective in preventing unwanted pregnancies, and because it reduces the need for abortions. Many other women report uncertainty about the pill because of concern about side effects. Given that Japan has a contraceptive failure rate of about 25 percent, with 29 percent of women having had at least one abortion, many women who do not yet favor the pill may shift to it once the low-dose pill comes on the market and they are reassured about its safety. Thus, the rate of pill use is likely to rise well above 10 percent.