2022 Volume 12 Pages 37-48
The Indian migrants in Japan as of December 2020 comprised a population of 38,558 people, with women making up around 30% of this number. Many Indian women migrate to Japan with their husbands who have accepted job opportunities there, and some arrive as newlywed wives of Indian men already established and working in Japan. These married women are often expected or choose to begin childbearing in the early years of their marriages or of their migration to Japan. Their reproductive health care journey can be an enormous challenge as they deal with social and cultural differences in a new country. Through qualitative interviews with Indian women who have lived in Japan for five or more years, this article explores the reproductive health care experiences of Indian women migrants during pregnancy and at the time of birth and reflects on the challenges these women face.
