Kumamoto-based Jikei Hospital's plan to enable parents to anonymously drop off infants they cannot take care of was given the go-ahead April 5 by the city government, despite criticism spearheaded by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"There is little possibility that it (the hatch system) constitutes the crime of negligence by a guardian," Justice Minister Jinen Nagase said.

But he added, "Personally, I have doubts about the scheme, considering parents' responsibility and its impact on society."

The Japan Times Weekly: April 14, 2007
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