The hospital where mothers can dump their unwanted babies

A hospital in southern Japan will set up a baby "drop-off" where unwanted infants can be anonymously abandoned. Jikei Hospital, a private facility in Kumamoto prefecture, has decided to introduce the baby drop-off, hospital official Satoshi Tokumitsu said Thursday.

A small window at the hospital will allow people outside to leave their babies in an incubator, according to national daily Asahi Shimbun. An alarm will notify staff once an infant is placed inside.

Hospital director Taiji Hasuda told Asahi he wants to reduce the number of abortions through the program. The babies placed in the drop-off will be put up for adoption, Kyodo News agency reported.

Tokumitsu said he could not give other details, and the doctor in charge of the plan was not immediately available for comment. The hospital plans to hold a press conference Friday.

The hospital is expected to start taking babies as early as the end of the year, according to the Asahi report.

Jikei decided to start the program after learning about similar ones in Germany, the newspaper said.

Local police have told the hospital they will review each case of baby abandonment and judge whether a crime has been committed, Kyodo said. Under Japanese law, those convicted of neglecting infants can be sentenced to three to five years in prison.

Kumamoto is 567 miles southwest of Tokyo.