Absence of laws regarding sperm and oocyte donation in Japan and the impacts on donors, parents, and the people born as a result

• Main Authors: Yuri Hibino, Sonia Allan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020-07-01
• Series: Reproductive Medicine and Biology
• Subjects: children's rights; egg donation; Japan; law; sperm donation
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/rmb2.12329

Abstract An absence of any statutory law in Japan regarding donor conception creates uncertainty about the status of donors in relation to the child(ren) born as a result. Laws that provide for certainty regarding the status of the donor are called for, as are laws that address donor anonymity. It would be pragmatic to introduce a prospective system that requires open donation, allowing information to be recorded and released to donor‐conceived people upon request. For past donations, a voluntary register should be established, which would allow those people who are seeking information to register this.