TW - CA, child abandonment, infanticide, stillbirth, and other troubling topics. Viewer discretion is advised.

After reading Ryu Murakami’s novel Coin Locker Babies, we wanted to learn more about this phenomenon and speak about recent cases of children left in lockers, other well-known cases of child abandonment, and find out a bit more about what options people have, like foster care and adoption. Please be respectful in the comments. 

Got questions or want to share your story? Send us an email at conbinicultpod@gmail.com

Frankie - @franklinthewoman

Cheyenne - @lostwithlow

Words mentioned/useful words

間引き mabiki - thinning out, pruning, also Edo period word for infanticide of second or third sons

遊郭 yuukaku - red light/entertainment district

References/sources:

Child abuse and neglect in Japan: Coin-operated-locker babies

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0145213494001087

Editorial: Japan needs legal protections, support for confidential births, baby hatches

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250416/p2a/00m/0op/004000c#:~:text=Jikei%20Hospital%20first%20introduced%20Japan's,maternal%20and%20child%20support%20approaches.

Japan's only 'baby hatch' sees record high inquiries 'due to pandemic'

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201128/p2a/00m/0na/005000c

Southwest Japan hospital shelters woman seeking to give birth without family knowledge

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20211029/p2a/00m/0na/045000c#:~:text=Since%202007%2C%20Jikei%20Hospital%20has,was%20going%20to%20give%20birth.

Mother arrested for leaving baby's body in locker - 26 September 2018

https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/7579

Baby’s body found in shopping center locker - June 6, 2021

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/baby%E2%80%99s-body-found-in-shopping-center-locker?comment-order=popular

Japan Children Support Association 

https://npojcsa.com/en/index.html

Infanticide in Japan: Sign of the Times? - NYT 1973

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/08/archives/infanticide-in-japan-sign-of-the-times-daughters-spared.html

33-year-old woman arrested in Osaka for abandoning newborn baby's body in coin locker

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASR3N3R59R3NPTIL004.html

Time stamps

00:00 TW - whole episode

00:43 life updates, books 

6:32 coin locker babies

10:08 recent cases 

17:32 similar cases through the ages

20:21 orphanages, foster care, adoption overview

23:55 does Japan have baby hatches?

29:27 movies based on abandonment cases

38:20 what options are there