Koichi Miyatsu's memory of the "baby hatch" door at the city hospital in southwestern Japan is etched deeply. At the age of 3, this experience became a significant part of his life. Now, as a 21-year-old university student, he has launched a program to teach kids about the importance of life. Miyatsu is one of the few in the country who were anonymously left at the facility as infants or toddlers by parents or relatives unable to raise them.

Education Based on Personal Upbringing

In Kumamoto, Miyatsu provides education to elementary school students and other children based on his own upbringing by foster parents. He emphasizes the need for a place where children can have dreams and hopes without being influenced by their environment, a place where their hearts can be fulfilled. The "University for Kids Kumamoto" program offers two free events a year, featuring talks by specialists on various themes such as "life studies" and a course to nurture a love for one's hometown.At an event in March to commemorate the opening of the "university," actress Misako Konno read from a picture book about parents who lost their children to atomic bombings to stress the importance of everyday life. Miyatsu was placed in the care of Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto in 2007 when it set up the baby hatch. He can still vividly remember the door as if it were a scene from a movie.When the hatch is opened from the outside, a buzzer sounds and a staff member rushes to the nursery to safeguard the child. From the start of its operation through fiscal year 2023, a total of 179 children were placed in the care of the Kumamoto facility. The facility is operated in cooperation with the Child Guidance Center and the police to prevent parents from violating criminal laws and regulations.Miyatsu learned about his biological mother when he was in elementary school. He was left in the care of relatives when she died in an accident at the age of 5 months. When his foster parents took him to visit his biological mother's gravesite, they made a promise to raise him as their own. He felt accepted by them as their real son.Miyatsu is occasionally pitied by others when he talks about his upbringing, but he proudly tells the audience that he is happy because his foster parents took good care of him. During a simulation at the seminar, child participants were instructed on how to cradle baby dolls to give them a "sense of the importance of life." After the event, children expressed their gratitude and a desire to take care of all living things.Yukiko Tajiri, who serves as the principal of the "University for Kids Kumamoto" and was involved in the establishment of the baby hatch, also spoke at the event. She advised Miyatsu to provide opportunities for parents and children to learn about the issue together. Miyatsu then turned to the KinderUni program in Germany, which has spread across Europe and inspired him to start similar activities in Japan.In Japan, children's universities started about 15 years ago and have spread to about a dozen prefectures. As a maternity nurse, Tajiri has continued to support women in trouble during pregnancy. She believes that it is their obligation to tell people about life and how it should be lived from Kumamoto, the birthplace of the baby hatch.Throughout the event, participants were able to experience and understand the significance of the "baby hatch" and its impact on individuals like Koichi Miyatsu. It serves as a reminder of the importance of life and the role that education and support can play in shaping a person's future.