Maternal and Child Health Handbook (Boshi Techou)

Introduction

The Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳 — Boshi Kenkou Techou) is one of the first things you will receive after confirming your pregnancy in Japan. Issued by your local municipal office, it is a lifelong health record book for both mother and child — used at every prenatal checkup, vaccination appointment, and health screening from pregnancy through to school age.

Keeping your handbook safe and up to date is one of the most important things you can do as a parent in Japan.

How to Get Your Handbook

Visit your local city hall (市役所) or ward office (区役所) after receiving a positive pregnancy test from your doctor. You will submit a pregnancy notification form (妊娠届 — ninshin todoke), and the handbook will be issued to you the same day — free of charge.

What to bring:

• Your residence card (在留カード)
• A pregnancy confirmation document from your doctor (妊娠の確認書類)
• Your personal seal (印鑑) — not always required, but good to have

At most offices, staff will walk you through a short interview about your health and living situation. This is also the point at which you may receive prenatal checkup vouchers (妊婦健康診査受診票), which cover part of the cost of your scheduled checkups. Many offices also hand out a maternity mark at the same counter, so it is worth asking while you are there.

Multilingual Support for International Residents

Japan's official Maternal and Child Health Handbook is available in 10 languages as free PDF downloads from the government's official site. These are not simplified summaries — the multilingual versions are the full handbook, covering all sections from pregnancy through early childhood.

All versions are available at the official government site: mchbook.cfa.go.jp — International Residents Section

There is also a shorter English orientation leaflet (8 pages) that shows the key steps from pregnancy to school enrolment as a flowchart — useful for a quick overview: Download leaflet (PDF)

What's Inside

The handbook is divided into two main parts — one for the mother's health during pregnancy, and one for the child's health from birth through school age.

• Mother's section: Pregnancy checkup records, weight and blood pressure tracking, health notes from your midwife or doctor
• Birth record: Delivery details, the baby's birth weight and length, APGAR score
• Child's section: Vaccination records, municipal health checkup results (1-month, 3–4 month, 6–7 month, 9–10 month, 1-year, 1.5-year, 3-year), growth charts, development milestones
• Parent notes section: Space for parents to record first words, first steps, and other memories

Vaccinations and health checkups are covered in detail in their own dedicated articles on this site.

Digital Version (電子母子手帳)

Some municipalities in Japan now offer a digital version of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook via a smartphone app. These apps allow you to record checkup results, track vaccination schedules, and view growth charts digitally — alongside (not instead of) your paper handbook.

Availability depends entirely on your local municipality. Check with your city hall at the time of registration to find out whether a digital option is offered in your area. The national government continues to expand digital coverage, so more areas are expected to offer this in coming years.

Why It Matters

The handbook is required at virtually every healthcare appointment for your child in Japan — prenatal checkups, newborn visits, vaccinations, and municipal health screenings. Hospitals and clinics expect to see it, and health centre staff record results directly into it.

Keep it safe. Replacing a lost handbook is possible, but past records cannot be recovered. As a precaution, photograph each completed page so you have a digital backup.

For more information, visit the official site: mchbook.cfa.go.jp