In May 2025, a rumor began to spread online that Japan had ended all vaccinations for children under 24 months, leading infant mortality to drop by 96%.
For example, the claim appeared on X (archived):
This post had gained 2,300 likes and 13,300 views as of this writing. Some X users appeared to take the claim at face value. "This!!!," one person replied. "In my life I have experienced so much loss of innocent babies, and watch the light leave my grandsons [sic] eyes at 6 months and is now Autistic and struggles everyday." The claim spread further on X, but also on Facebook.
The claim, however, was false. Japan did not, in fact, end vaccination for children under the age of two. On the contrary, the country has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world for certain childhood vaccines, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD). Indeed, the country recorded an immunization rate of 95% against measles and a 99% immunization rate against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in 2021. As for the pneumococcal conjugate-containing vaccine, the number of children who received all doses necessary for immunization oscillated between 95% and 99% from 2011 to 2023, according to the UNICEF Data Warehouse.
Meanwhile, the infant mortality rate — a measure of how many babies die before they turn one — is very low. Indeed, it has fallen from 4.25 per 1000 live births in 1994 to 1.77 per 1000 live births, a 58.35% decrease according to the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.
The false claim appears to stem from a misunderstanding of what happened in Japan in 1994. That year, the country did not end all vaccinations for children under two years old. Instead, it made them voluntary rather than mandatory. Still, even after this date, Japanese authorities maintained a recommended vaccination schedule consistent with the recommendations of Japan's Pediatric Society. This schedule recommends certain vaccines as soon as birth and others as soon as two months old. In fact, it closely resembles other vaccination schedules in the world, including that of the U.S. and European Union countries.
Further, Japanese localities implement a crucial incentive to encourage parents to follow the recommended schedule. Indeed, if they do, the localities cover the costs of vaccines for families. If they veer from the schedule, either by vaccinating them earlier or later than recommended or by spacing out doses differently than recommended, the families become liable for the cost of vaccines. The website of the city of Hiroshima read:
If you choose to vaccinate your child before or after the stipulated vaccination period, or if you do not follow the vaccination schedule (inoculation intervals and number of doses), the vaccination will be deemed "voluntary." In these cases, you will be responsible for the full cost of vaccines, and you may not be able to receive compensation under the Immunization Act if your child experiences adverse side effects caused by the vaccine. Try to follow the recommended schedule as closely as possible.
As for the drop in the infant mortality rate, it is due in large part to an ongoing campaign in Japan that started in 1996, which promoted safe sleeping recommendations. Further advances to promote access to healthcare and nutrition helped Japan lower its infant mortality rate further.