Boshi Techo: Japan's Maternal and Child Health Handbook

What is the boshi techo?

The 母子健康手帳 (boshi kenkō techō, usually shortened to boshi techo) is issued by your municipality under Articles 15 and 16 of the Maternal and Child Health Act. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) describes it as one continuous health record covering pregnancy, birth and early childhood. It helps the mother keep track of her own health, becomes an important family record, and is used by health staff when they give checkups and guidance.

Part of the handbook follows a nationally uniform format set by ministerial ordinance. According to MHLW, this includes the record of the pregnancy, a vaccination record (予防接種の記録) and growth curves (身体発育曲線) for the child. The rest is information that each municipality chooses, such as local services and child-rearing tips.

How a foreign resident gets a boshi techo

Foreign residents registered at a Japanese address follow the same process as Japanese residents. MHLW's guidance is to notify your city, town or village promptly once a pregnancy is confirmed. The municipality then issues the handbook.

1. Confirm the pregnancyUsually at a clinic or hospital. Some municipalities, such as Kobe, do not ask for a medical certificate to issue the handbook, but check what your office needs.
2. Submit the pregnancy notificationGo to the counter that handles maternal and child health at your city or ward office (妊娠届). In Kobe, you can apply at the health and welfare section of any ward office or branch office.
3. Bring identificationKobe asks for your My Number card, or another ID plus proof of your My Number. A family member can apply for you with a power of attorney. Other cities may ask for different documents.
4. Receive the handbook and vouchersStaff explain local services. In Kobe, the process takes about 30 to 60 minutes.

Multilingual boshi techo editions

Many municipalities stock foreign-language editions. These are usually bilingual, with Japanese alongside the other language, so Japanese doctors and midwives can still write in them and you can read them.

• A national multilingual edition. An MHLW-funded project (fiscal year 2019) produced the handbook in 10 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Tagalog and Nepali. In the same study, about 78% of municipalities with foreign pregnant residents bought foreign-language handbooks and gave them out free.
• Yokohama City lists seven languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Nepali.
• Chiba Prefecture municipalities offer between one and eleven languages. Some give them out at notification, others only on request.

Availability, languages and stock differ by city, so ask for a foreign-language edition when you submit your notification. If your language is not available, a translation of key pages can help later.

Prenatal checkup vouchers (妊婦健康診査受診券)

When you notify your pregnancy, MHLW says you will also receive vouchers or subsidy tickets (受診券 or 補助券) that let you have prenatal checkups (妊婦健康診査) with public funding. The number of vouchers and the amounts depend on your municipality.

For example, Kobe City currently issues:

Other cities have their own rules, so check your city's page or ask at the counter.

Using the boshi techo at appointments

Bring the handbook to every prenatal checkup, to the birth, and to your child's health checks and vaccinations. Clinics write in it, so it builds into one record over time. Japan's routine childhood vaccinations are recorded there too; see our guide to vaccinations in Japan for how the schedule works.

If you have records from another country, such as earlier vaccinations, keep them with the handbook and show them to the clinic. A Japanese translation makes it easier for staff to see what has already been done.

Keeping your boshi techo records if you move abroad

The handbook stays with your family. If you leave Japan, take the original with you. Doctors and schools overseas may not read Japanese, so plan ahead:

• Keep the original safeIt is often the only complete record of your pregnancy, the birth and your child's early checkups and vaccinations.
• Scan or photograph every written pageInclude stamps, handwritten notes and the vaccination pages.
• Translate the pages you will needVaccination records, birth details and child health checkups are the pages most often asked for. Ask the receiving clinic or school which records they need.
• Moving within JapanThe handbook moves with you, but checkup vouchers are tied to your municipality. Contact your new city or ward office about new vouchers.

Translating your boshi techo

A translation turns the handwritten and printed entries into clear English (or Japanese, if you are bringing overseas records to Japan) for the clinic, school or doctor who needs them. It reduces the risk of misunderstanding, for example over which vaccine doses were given and when.

• Tell us which pages you need translated and who will receive them.
• Send clear scans of each page, including handwritten entries and stamps.
• Keep the original; you will not need to post it.

Whether a receiving organisation accepts a translation is up to that organisation, so check its requirements first. See medical records translation in Japan for more on how medical translation works.