There are five types of survey forms.
Outline of Vital Statistics in Japan
1 Objective
The objective of this survey is to identify vital events of Japan and obtain basic data source for population and policy making on health, labour and welfare.
2 History
The modern Vital Statistics Survey was established in 1899, taking advantage of the enactment of the Family Registration Act in 1898, which provided legal structure to the existing registration system. Since then, one sheet of form is used for each event and the data of all the events is summed up by the central government.
Later, it was recognized as Designated Statistics No. 5 under the Statistics Act in June 1947 and its responsibility was transferred from the Prime Minister's Office to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in September of the same year. Moreover, it became a fundamental statistical survey from April 2009 based on the new Statistics Act (Act No. 53 of 2007).
3 Subjects
Subjects of the survey are the total events of live births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and foetal deaths notified in accordance with “Family Registration Law” and “Provisions Regarding Notification of Stillbirths”, but objects of this survey are events that occurred in Japan within the survey year concerning persons who possess Japanese nationality.
4 Survey Period
From 1st January to 31st December of the survey year
5 Types of Survey Forms and Survey Items
(1) Live Birth Form: Items based on Notification of Live Birth. (PDF:221KB)
(2) Death Form: Items based on Notification of Death. (PDF:362KB)
(3) Fetal Death Form: Items based on Notification of Fetal Death. (PDF:376KB)
(4) Marriage Form: Items based on Notification of Marriage. (PDF:191KB)
(5) Divorce Form: Items based on Notification of Divorce. (PDF:206KB)
Please refer to the five types of survey forms above for the survey items ((1)-(5)). Survey items for survey on occupation and industry only account for the National Census survey year, which starts on April 1 and ends on March 31 of the following year.
6 Report of Survey and Route of Report
Person with Notification Obligation and the Period of Notification are as follows
| Category | Person with Notification Obligation | Notification | Notification Period1) |
| Birth | 1 Father or mother 2 Person living in the same household 3 Doctor, midwife or any other person present at the time of birth | Municipal head | 14 days |
| Death | 1 Relative living together 2 Any other person living together 3 House owner, land owner or manager of the house or land 4 Relative not living together, guardian, curator, assistant and voluntarily appointed guardian | 7 days | |
| Fetal death | 1 Father or mother 2 Person living together 3 Doctor present at the time of stillbirth 4 Midwife present at the time of stillbirth 5 Any other person present at the time of birth | 7 days | |
| Marriage | Bride and groom | Municipal head of the registered domicile or location of the husband or wife | Not specified |
| Divorce | Wife and husband | Not specified for divorce by mutual agreement 10 days for divorces dependent on conciliation, adjustment, compromise, acknowledgement of claim and judicial divorce. |
Note: 1) The period for submitting a notification commences from the day on which an event under notification takes place for birth, death and judicial divorce, and on the following day for Fetal death.
Municipal heads fill in the vital statistics survey forms based on notifications of birth, death, Fetal birth, marriage or divorce they receive and send them to the appropriate public health centers by the area of jurisdiction.
The heads of the public health centers collect all survey forms submitted by the municipal heads and send them to the prefecture’s governor every month.
This is done via the mayor of the city if the public health center is located in a city.
The prefectural governors review the contents of the survey forms submitted by the heads of public health centers and send them to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Note: Cities with public health centers refers to cities specified under Cabinet Order as set forth in Article 1 of the Community Health Act (Order No. 77 of April 2, 1948).
7 Tabulation and Release of Results
The Director-General for Statistics, Information Policy, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare tabulates the results, which are promptly released as the Prompt Vital Statistics Report, Monthly Vital Statistics Report (preliminary data) and Summary Report of Annual Vital Statistics of Japan (final data).
«Notes»
1 The following reports on vital statistics are released.
Prompt Vital Statistics Report Data: Number of survey sheets submitted Tabulation Objects: Japanese and aliens living in Japan, and Japanese living abroad (both including events occurred earlier than the previous year) Release: Monthly (Two months after the survey month) |
Monthly Vital Statistics Report Data: Preliminary Tabulation Objects: Japanese living in Japan Release: Monthly (Five months after the survey month) |
Annual Vital Statistics Report Data: Final (Corrected preliminary data) Tabulation Objects: Japanese living in Japan (Aliens living in Japan, Japanese living abroad, and events occurred earlier than the survey year are released separately) Release: Annually (September of the year after the survey year) Publications: Report (published in March of the second year after the survey year) |
Reports are available on the Portal Site of Official Statistics of Japan (e-Stat: https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&toukei=00450011&tstat=000001028897)
and the website of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/database/db-hw/vs01.html).
○Commentary on the terms
Natural changes
The number derived by deducting the number of deaths from the number of live births.
Infant mortality
Death in less than one year of birth.
Neonatal mortality
Death in less than four weeks of birth.
Early neonatal mortality
Death in less than one week of birth.
Period of gestation
The period of gestation for live births, fetal births and perinatal mortality are based on the number of completed weeks (number of months of gestation was calculated using the Japanese method of counting 4 weeks as one month until 1978).
Premature birth
Less than 37 completed weeks of gestation (less than 259 days)
Full-term birth
From 37 completed weeks to less than 42 completed weeks of gestation (from 259 days to 293 days)
Post-mature birth
42 or more completed weeks of gestation (294 days or more)
Fetal death
This refers to the birth of a stillborn baby after 12 completed weeks (4th month) of gestation. A baby is recognized as stillborn when no heartbeat, voluntary muscle movement and breathing is detected after birth.
Spontaneous fetal death and artificial fetal death
Artificial fetal death refers to the birth of a stillborn baby through artiicial procedure (use of measures or labour-inducing drugs against the fetus or fetal appendage) while the fetus is alive inside the mother’s body. All other stillborn births are considered natural fetal deaths.
However, the following cases fall under natural fetal death, even if artificial procedures were taken.
(1) when its purpose is to deliver the baby
(2) when it is uncertain whether the fetus is dead or alive inside the mother’s body, or when the fetus is already dead
Perinatal mortality
This refers to fetal death of 22 completed weeks (154 days) of gestation and after, and early neonatal deaths.
Maternal death
This refers to a death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 completed days of termination of pregnancy (“within 90 days postpartum” until 1978 and “within 42 days after giving birth” from 1979 until 1994), irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management. It excludes deaths from accidental or incidental causes. It covers direct obstetric deaths, indirect obstetric deaths, and obstetric deaths from unspecified cause (Code O95 of the detailed list of statistical classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death (this source of the codes omitted below) from 1995).
Late maternal death
Death of a woman from direct or indirect obstetric cause occurring more than 42 completed days but less than one year after termination of pregnancy. This definition was introduced in "ICD-10" applicable from 1995. It covers direct obstetric deaths, indirect obstetric deaths and deaths from any obstetric causes (Code O96 from 1995 to 2016 and code O96.9 from 2017 onwards).
Direct obstetric deaths 1)
Death resulting from obstetric complications of the pregnant state (pregnancy, labour and puerperium).
Maternal death
Listed under “XI Complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium” (contents correspond to direct obstetric death) in the detailed list of statistical classification of diseases, injuries and causes of death before 1978, under 630–646 and 650–676 from 1979 to 1994 and under O00–O92 from 1995 onwards.
Late maternal death:
Listed under O96.0, a subclassification introduced in "ICD-10 (2013 version)", from 2017 onwards.
Indirect obstetric deaths 1)
Deaths resulting from previous existing disease or disease hat developed during pregnancy and that was not due to direct obstetric causes, but was aggravated by physiologic effects of pregnancy.
Maternal death
Listed under 647 - 648 from 1979 to 1994, and under O98 - O99 and indirect obstetric deaths outside Chapter XV (O codes) from 1995 onwards.
Late maternal death
Indirect obstetric death outside Chapter XV (O codes) were added from 1995 to 2016, and O96.1, a subclassification introduced in "ICD-10 (2013 version)", was added from 2017.
Indirect obstetric deaths outside Chapter XV (O codes)
Corresponds to obstetrical tetanus (A34) and Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (B20–24) from 1995 to 2016. Due to application of "ICD-10 (2013 version)" from 2017, the code for Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease complicating pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (B20–24) was changed to O98.7, and Hypopituitarism (E23.0), Mental and behavioural disorders associated with the puerperium, not elsewhere classified (F53), Puerperal osteomalacia (M83.0) and External causes of morbidity and mortality (V01–Y89) were added.
Note: 1) Definition introduced in "ICD-9 "applicable from 1979.
Types of institutions
Hospital
A place where physicians or dentists provide health care or dental care to the general public or a specified group of people with inpatient facilities for 20 or more patients.
Clinic
A place where physicians or dentists provide health care and dental care to the general public or a specified group of people with no inpatient facilities or with inpatient facilities for 19 or fewer patients.
Integrated Facility for Medical and Long-term Care
A facility with the purpose of providing care management, nursing care, and long-term care, functional training or other necessary medical services under control of medical management, as well as daily care to 'persons requiring long-term care' of which those who basically require care for a long time period, which has obtained permission from the prefectural governor as set forth in the Long-Term Care surance Act (Act No. 123 of 1997, enforced on April 1, 2000).
(Reference) Newly established with the implementation of a partial revision in the Long-Term Care Insurance Act for strengthening the regional comprehensive care system (Enforced on April 1, 2018).
Long-Term Care Health Facility
A facility with the purpose of providing nursing care, and long-term care, functional training or other medical services under control of medical management, as well as daily activities to 'persons requiring long-term care', which has obtained permission from the prefectural governor as set forth in the Long-Term Care Insurance Act (Act No. 123 of 1997).
(Reference)Referred to as Facility for Health and Medical Services for the Aged in the Health and Medical Services Act for the Aged (Act No. 80 of 1982) before the enforcement of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act.
Birthing Center
A place where midwives perform services (excluding those carried out in a hospital or clinic) for the public or other specific groups of people.
Home for the elderly
Refers to nursing homes for the elderly, intensive care homes for the elderly, lowcost homes for the elderly and fee-based homes for the elderly.
Home
Includes group homes and housing for the elderly with home care service, apart from home.
Type of occupation for household
Agriculture household
A household in which the highest earner is engaged in farming or other work along with farming.
Self-employed household
A household in which the highest earner individually manages a freelance business, commercial business or service business.
Regular employee household (I)
A household in which the highest earner is employed in a corporation or private store (excluding public institutions) with 1 to 99 employees (Employees working under a daily contract or a contract with a term shorter than one month are categorized under “Other households”).
Regular employee household (II)
A household in which the highest earner is a regular employee in an organization not included in Regular employee household (I) above, and household of an executive of a corporation/organization Employees working under a daily contract or a contract with a term shorter than one month are categorized under “Other households”).
Other households
Households in which the highest earner is engaged in other work not included in the above categories.
Unemployed households
A household with no working members (includes households living on pension, interests or other sources of income).
Types of divorce
Divorce by agreement
Comes into effect by notification in accordance with the Family Register Act but the husband and wife must agree to the divorce to make it valid. The divorce is invalid if there is no consent.
Judicial Divorce
A divorce that becomes valid through involvement of the court. It is further divided into five types: divorce by mediation, divorce by adjudication, divorce by settlement, divorce by acknowledgment of claim, and divorce by judgment, which comes into effect when the mediation is concluded, the adjudication is finalized, the settlement is concluded, the claim is acknowledged, or the judgment becomes final and binding, respectively.
Divorce by mediation
Mediation begins when a party files a petition or the family court refers the case to a mediation. Mediation is regarded to become valid when both parties agree to divorce and this is stated in a record, and its statement shall have the same effect as a final and binding judgement.
Divorce by adjudication
When mediation is not successful, the family courty may give adjudication in lieu of mediation. The adjudication becomes invalid when a party files a lawful objection within two weeks, while it shall have the same effect as a final and binding judgment if no lawful objection is filed.
Divorce by settlement
Settlement can be made in a divorce procedure. When settlement is concluded and this is stated in a record, its statement shall have the same effect as a final and binding judgement.
Divorce by acknowledgment of claim
Acknowledgement of a claim can be made in a divorce procedure. When settlement is concluded and this is stated in a record, its statement shall have the same effect as a final and binding judgement.
Divorce by judgment
When mediation is not successful and adjudication cannot be finalized, and when there is a cause stated in law, a judgment is made following a case filed by either of the party.