A 61-year-old woman gave birth to her own grandchild, using an egg donated by her daughter, a clinic said Aug. 21. The surrogate mother was believed to be the oldest woman to have given birth in Japan.

Surrogate births are extremely rare in Japan and banned by industry groups, but they are not illegal. The Suwa Maternity Clinic in Nagano Prefecture refused to provide information, such as the date of the birth or gender of the baby. News reports said the baby was born last year.

The clinic said it performed the procedure because the woman's daughter has no uterus, but didn't give details on why she had that condition. The surrogate mother used a fertilized egg donated by her daughter.

"Both surrogate mother and baby were fine," said Chihiro Netsu, a clinic spokeswoman.

Dr. Yahiro Netsu, who runs the clinic, has long defied national opposition to such procedures, arguing that they should be an option for women who are infertile.