Volume 32, Number 6, November/December 2000 Experts Say Japan's
Medical Delivery System Is Partly to Blame for High Level of
Maternal Mortality There In 1991-1992, 230 Japanese women died
while pregnant or within 42 days after their pregnancy ended;
the resulting maternal mortality rate of 9.5 deaths per 100,000
live births is somewhat higher than rates in other developed
countries at roughly the same time. Moreover, according to the
results of an inquiry initiated by the Japanese government,
nearly two in five maternal deaths that occurred in medical
facilities could have been prevented. Findings from the inquiry
highlight how inadequacies in Japan's system of delivering
obstetric care contribute to the risk of pregnancy-related
death.1 A 15-member study group was convened to conduct the
inquiry, using data from death certificates to identify maternal
deaths. The group investigated the details of each case by
sending a questionnaire to the medical facility that provided
care to the woman or, in instances whe