The Current State of Professional Midwives in Japan and their Traditional Virtues

th , 2016 ABSTRACT Traditionally, Japanese women endure labor pain. They are then pleased by the sense of ac- complishment after a successful vaginal childbirth, a concept based on the Japanese Buddhism. Therefore, Japanese midwives place importance on the process and devote care for pregnant women throughout the experience. Professional midwives in Japan strive to monitor the child- birth process with devotion and identify any abnormality with modern scientific knowledge in the small midwifery rooms of hospitals and clinics, in cooperation with obstetricians. Recently a new midwifery category has evolved called "advanced midwife" that do not work under a physician's direct supervision, but rather practice independently and in harmony with the doc- tors.