A hospital in southern Japan announced it would set up a baby "drop-off" where unwanted infants could be left anonymously.
Jikei Hospital, a private facility in Kumamoto Prefecture, has decided to introduce the baby drop-off, hospital official Satoshi Tokumitsu said on Thursday.
A small window at the hospital will allow people outside to leave their babies in an incubator, according to national daily Asahi Shimbun. An alarm will notify staff once an infant is put inside.
Hospital director Taiji Hasuda told Asahi he wants to reduce the number of abortions through the program.
The babies placed in the drop-off will be put up for adoption, Kyodo News agency reported.
Tokumitsu said he could not give other details, and the doctor in charge of the plan was not available for comment. The hospital is expected to start taking babies by the end of the year, according to the Asahi report.
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