# Japanese law reserves assisting at birth and health guidance for women after birth and newborns to licensed midwives or doctors, on pain of criminal penalty

Page: https://flyvolo.ai/en/changes/ev-20260521-midwife-6
Date: 2026-05-21 · Stage: Constraint
Can this record move a task judgement? yes
Occupation: https://flyvolo.ai/en/careers/midwife

## Scope

Japan. The act defines a midwife as a woman licensed by the health minister to assist at birth or give health guidance to pregnant women, women after childbirth or newborns, says no one who is not a midwife may do this work except a doctor acting under the Medical Practitioners Act, and punishes violations with imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 500,000 yen. Promulgated in 1948; read in the version in force from 21 May 2026. It reserves the work to licensed people; it does not ban tools used by them.

## Source

- e-Gov Japanese Law Search (Digital Agency) — Act on Public Health Nurses, Midwives and Nurses (保健師助産師看護師法, Act No. 203 of 1948), Articles 3, 30 and 43, version in force from 21 May 2026 — https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/323AC0000000203 (primary source)

## What this means

In Japan, managing a birth and caring for mother and baby after it are, by law, a licensed person's work.

## What it does not show yet

It reserves the work to people but says nothing about the tools they may use.

## How to verify it yourself

Open the Act on Public Health Nurses, Midwives and Nurses on e-Gov and find "助産師でない者は、第三条に規定する業をしてはならない".


More: https://flyvolo.ai/llms.txt