For many Japanese women and girls who are at risk of unintended pregnancies, access to emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) is limited. Obtaining ECPs is very difficult in Japan because they require a prescription and are expensive as they are not covered by the national health insurance.1 The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) recognised this and debated whether or not to approve over-the-counter (OTC) access that does not require a prescription. Although 92% of public comments were supportive of ECPs being made available OTC, the MHLW did not approve the change because of some concerns around the uncertainty of ECP effectiveness, misuse and abuse.2 However, according to the World Health Organization, ECPs are safe and effective medicines that all health systems should provide in view of the right of women and girls of reproductive age to access ECPs and avoid unintended pregnancies.3 4 In Japan, while the number of births in 2016 was 976978, the annual …

中文翻译：

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日本获取紧急避孕药的挑战

对于许多有意外怀孕风险的日本妇女和女童来说，紧急避孕药 (ECP) 的获得是有限的。在日本获得 ECP 非常困难，因为它们需要处方，而且价格昂贵，因为它们不在国民健康保险范围内。1 厚生劳动省 (MHLW) 认识到这一点，并就是否批准超过- 不需要处方的柜台 (OTC) 访问。尽管 92% 的公众评论支持 ECP 可在非处方药使用，但 MHLW 并未批准这一更改，因为对 ECP 有效性、误用和滥用的不确定性存在一些担忧。 2 然而，据世界卫生组织称，