Tokyo rail companies are providing pregnant women with badges in the hope of prompting other passengers on the Japanese capital's crowded trains to offer them seats. The pink and blue badges reading: "There is a baby in my belly" are being handed out at stations around the region to try to make commuting and other train journeys easier for pregnant women, who are often left standing. "Especially in the early stages, it is difficult to tell from someone's appearance whether they are pregnant," said an official at the Health Ministry which came up with the idea. "But these early stages are rather unstable and it is important to take care." The move comes as Japan scrambles for ways to persuade women to have more babies. The dwindling birth rate has left the nation with a shrinking population and the world's highest proportion of elderly people. "We want to create an environment that is pleasant for pregnant women," the agency official said. The move was welcomed by many. "When I was three months pregnant and got on the train, no one would really notice me and I couldn't really ask them to give me a seat," said Yoshiko Kato, a self-employed 38-year-old who is five months pregnant. "So these badges, I hope, will help some people to notice I am pregnant," she said. (Agencies)

近日，東京地鐵公司向孕婦們發放懷孕徽章，目的是提示其他乘客在擁擠的地鐵上為她們讓座。 這些粉藍相間的徽章上寫著：“我肚子里有孩子”。目前，東京地區各個車站都在發放這種徽章，這對坐車時常沒位子的孕婦來說，坐地鐵上下班或乘火車出行就容易得多了。 提出此計劃的日本健康部的一位官員說：“尤其在妊娠早期，人們很難從外表上判斷她們是否懷孕了。但是孕婦在妊娠早期又很不穩定，所以要十分小心。” 這項措施是日本政府促使婦女多生孩子的一項舉措。日本因出生率持續下降而導致人口不斷減少，現已成為世界上老年人口比率最高的國家。 那位健康部的官員說：“我們想為孕婦們創造一個愉快舒適的環境。” 這項舉措受到很多人的歡迎。 已有5個月身孕的38歲個體戶良木香子說：“我懷孕三個月時坐火車，沒有人注意到我，而我也不可能讓別人給我讓座。所以，我希望這些徽章能讓人們注意到我是個孕婦。” (英語點津姍姍編輯)