Addressing Japan's fertility decline: influences of unintended pregnancy on child rearing.

Japan has been experiencing a continuing decline in fertility and an increase in premarital conceptions and abortions among young people. Child rearing is often viewed as a burden. In response, Japan is now seeking ways to improve the child-rearing environment for parents. In this context, we conducted a prospective study among 206 pregnant women in Sukagawa City, Fukushima, to explore the influences of pregnancy intention on child rearing. We found that unintended pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of negative child-rearing outcomes, including lower mother-to-child attachment, increased negative feelings of mothers and a lower level of participation of fathers in child rearing. Unintended pregnancy exacerbates the real and perceived burdens of child rearing. Japan is currently facing a conflict between wanting to reduce unintended pregnancies and increase the national fertility rate. We believe the government needs to address the social challenges affecting people's family lives, which underpin low fertility, rather than focus on fertility decline per se. We suggest Japan seeks to reduce unintended pregnancies and provide support to parents at high risk of child-rearing difficulties. We also suggest adopting a comprehensive approach to improving the lives of young couples, with a focus on adolescents, including life-skills education to prepare for adulthood, marriage and parenthood.