Have you ever seen this mark?

 
It says a “baby is inside tummy”.

It’s called ‘Maternity Mark’, and
was officially announced by the
Ministry of Health, Labor and
Welfare in March, 2006, in an
effort to help create a friendly
environment for pregnant
women.

It is difficult to recognize women
in the early stages of pregnancy, especially here in
Japan where maternity fashions that hide swollen
tummies are very popular. It was created in response
from comments by pregnant women who desired to get
‘assistance at staircases’ and be “offered a seat on
public transportion”. This mark also makes it easier to
give assistance or your seat to women displaying this
mark. One does not want to offend a young woman for
misjudgment from her appearance alone. 

This item can be obtained from your local ward office
(kuyakusho) when reporting pregnancy to obtain a
‘Maternity and Child Health Handbook’. 

Check the website below for more symbols for
priority seats:

http://www.ecomo.or.jp/barrierfree/pictogram/data/seats%20data.pdf

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