Abstract
Looked at worldwide, Japan is a nation of falling birthrates and an aging population, where the women's childbearing age is increasing. The rise of the childbearing age will cause a variety of problems. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is has introduced a comprehensive childbirth support program that provides seamless support from childbirth up to child rearing. The postnatal period is a time in which the mother’s physical and mental state is most liable to disorders and can be described as the time when they need the most support. The support after childbirth secures a support system from immediately after discharge from hospital, and of the help available it is the postnatal care facilities that have attracted much attention. Mothers can stay at these facilities that do not impinge on medical law, and receive parental skills training and physical and mental rest. These facilities also prevent the isolation of mother and child. Most of the care is provided by midwives, but people form many backgrounds cooperate. The high cost of using these facilities and the increasing number of people who wish to use them are becoming issues, and hopefully the costs will be cut, the facilities become more widely known, and their number increased, as there is a need for an increase in cheap day care.
