Japanese couple pleads for surrogacy laws

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2007

TOKYO (AFP) — A Japanese couple who had twins through an American surrogate appealed Wednesday for the nation to recognise the practice after a court decision led them to decide to raise their children as US citizens.

Japanese laws do not specifically stipulate the legal status of children born through surrogacy, which is not a crime but is banned by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

"I read the ruling over and over again, and to be honest, I was disappointed and felt angry," television personality Aki Mukai, 42, said at her first news conference after the ruling.

Mukai, whose womb was removed due to cancer, has ignited a public debate in Japan on surrogacy.

She and her husband, professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada, have launched a...