Pregnancy Support Benefit Covers Miscarriage, Abortion Too

The short answer: if a heartbeat was confirmed, ¥100,000 is available regardless of how the pregnancy ends

* Based on the Children and Families Agency's Q&A for municipalities (10 October 2025 edition) and its guidance leaflets[Children and Families Agency, Q&A for municipalities (in Japanese)].

In this program, "pregnancy" means that a medical institution has confirmed a fetal heartbeat. A positive result on an over-the-counter test alone does not qualify.

Amount and timing: ¥50,000 × (number of fetuses + 1), with a two-year deadline

The Pregnancy Support Benefit is a national benefit under the Child and Child-rearing Support Act. The law sets the amount at "¥50,000 × (the number of fetuses plus one)." For twins, the total is ¥150,000[Child and Child-rearing Support Act, Article 10-12 (in Japanese)].

• First payment, ¥50,000: After a medical institution confirms the heartbeat, apply to your municipality for certification. Many municipalities process this together with the pregnancy notification.
• Second payment, ¥50,000 × number of fetuses: From 8 weeks before the due date, report the number of fetuses. If the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage happens earlier than that, you can report from that date.
• Deadline: two years from the heartbeat confirmation date for the first payment, and two years from 8 weeks before the due date (or from the date of the loss, for the second) for the second.
• No income limit or nationality requirement. The law's only requirement is "a pregnant woman with an address in Japan," and municipalities cannot add their own conditions.
• Tax-free and exempt from seizure. It is not counted toward income tax or resident tax, and does not affect dependent status or daycare fee calculations[same Act, Articles 10-6 and 10-7 (in Japanese)].

From fiscal 2026, the funding source shifts to the child and child-rearing support levy, but the amount and procedure do not change[Children and Families Agency, guidance for employers, February 2026 (in Japanese)].

How to apply after a miscarriage or abortion: one certificate gets you both payments

Even if the pregnancy ended before you submitted the pregnancy notification, the national government has told municipalities that "both the first and second payments can be made upon presentation of a doctor's certificate or similar document." There are three steps.

1. Get a certificate from the medical institution that confirmed the heartbeat. It should show the heartbeat confirmation date and the date of the loss. A municipality-supplied form signed by the doctor is also acceptable. You pay the certificate fee yourself (often around ¥2,000).
2. Submit the certification application and the fetus-count report to your municipality at the same time. Many municipalities accept these by mail or online, so you may not need to visit in person.
3. Wait for the transfer. The first payment arrives after certification, and the second after the report, both to your designated bank account.

If the miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion happens after you submitted the pregnancy notification, the second payment is made with just the fetus-count report. No supporting documents are required, and in principle the amount is paid as declared.

The benefit's name differs by municipality. Search your city's website for terms like "pregnancy benefit miscarriage," or call the maternal and child health desk to check.

Is there any subsidy for the abortion procedure itself? Health insurance does not cover it, except for sex-crime victims

In principle, an induced abortion procedure is not covered by health insurance, and the full cost is paid out of pocket. Even for procedures performed under the Maternal Health Act, the long-standing national treatment is that insurance does not cover abortions performed for economic reasons[1952 Ministry of Health and Welfare notice (in Japanese)]. Because medical institutions set their own prices, the cost is often in the low hundred-thousand-yen range in the first trimester (up to 11 weeks) and can exceed ¥300,000 from 12 weeks onward (this is only a guide based on institutions' published prices; there is no official statistic).

The exception is pregnancy resulting from a sex crime. Each prefectural police force runs a program that publicly covers the cost of the abortion procedure, the initial examination fee, the certificate fee and testing costs. Contact the police where you reported the crime, or the nationwide one-stop support center for victims of sexual violence (#8891)[National Police Agency (in Japanese)].

Even though there is no subsidy for the procedure cost, the following three measures are available.

• For an abortion or stillbirth from 12 weeks, the ¥488,000 lump-sum childbirth allowance can cover most of the procedure cost. Ask at the time of treatment whether the "direct payment system," where the institution receives the payment directly, is available.
• An employee who takes leave from work for treatment may be eligible for the health insurance maternity allowance (出産手当金, from 85 days of pregnancy) or the sickness and injury allowance. Check with your employer's health insurance association or the Japan Health Insurance Association. See also the conditions for the sickness and injury allowance.
• The medical expense deduction can combine your family's expenses, including transportation to appointments and prescription medicine. See how to calculate the medical expense deduction for the full method.

For the full picture of money available if the pregnancy continues to birth, see our guide to money you can receive for childbirth and child-rearing; for municipal top-ups, see our nationwide roundup of child-rearing support.

Summary

• The Pregnancy Support Benefit covers both the first payment of ¥50,000 and the second payment of ¥50,000 × number of fetuses even after a miscarriage, stillbirth or induced abortion, as long as a medical institution confirmed the heartbeat
• You can apply even before submitting the pregnancy notification, as long as you have a doctor's certificate showing the heartbeat confirmation date. The deadline is two years from that date (or from the date of the loss, for the second payment)
• Not eligible: cases where the heartbeat had not been confirmed when the oral abortion pill was taken, and ectopic pregnancy
• There is no income limit or nationality requirement, and the amount received is tax-free and exempt from seizure
• The abortion procedure itself is not covered by health insurance or a national subsidy, but the ¥488,000 lump-sum childbirth allowance applies from 12 weeks, and the medical expense deduction applies to procedures under the Maternal Health Act

Sources

• Children and Families Agency, "Pregnancy Support Benefit and comprehensive consultation support for pregnant women" (in Japanese)
• Children and Families Agency, leaflet "Guide to the Pregnancy Support Benefit" (PDF, in Japanese)
• Children and Families Agency, leaflet "Guide to benefits and consultation desks, for those who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth" (PDF, in Japanese)
• Children and Families Agency, Q&A collection for municipalities (10 October 2025 edition, PDF, in Japanese)
• Child and Child-rearing Support Act (Articles 10-2 to 10-14 and Article 73, in Japanese)
• Japan Health Insurance Association, "About the lump-sum childbirth allowance" (in Japanese)
• National Tax Agency, Q&A "Cost of an induced abortion" (in Japanese)
• National Police Agency, "Public cost-coverage program for victims of sex crimes" (in Japanese)
• Yokohama City, "Pregnancy Support Benefit, frequently asked questions" (in Japanese), Osaka City, "For those who have had a miscarriage or stillbirth" (in Japanese) and Nagoya City, "Pregnancy and Child-Rearing Household Support Payment" (in Japanese)

* This article is general information based on official sources as of October 2026. Application forms and procedures vary by municipality. For your own situation, check with your municipal office, health insurance association or tax office, or consult a professional.