Japan today began piloting the free sale of morning-after birth control pills that normally require a prescription in the country, a small step that human rights advocates say is too limited.

Under this pilot programme, the emergency contraceptive pill, which can prevent a pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of intercourse but whose effectiveness decreases over time, is available at 145 pharmacies nationwide, according to the Japan Pharmaceutical Association (JPA).

Human rights associations have long criticized the fact that emergency contraceptive pills are not available in Japan except with a prescription; which one can only get by visiting a doctor.

According to the associations, this it may discourage many women, particularly rape victims or teenage girls, from attempting to obtain the morning-after pill, even for practical reasons, as many clinics are closed at night and at the weekend.

As part of this Japanese experiment, which is set to last until the end of March, women who wish to obtain this contraceptive, which is sold for 7,000 to 9,000 yen (from 43 to 55 euros), they will have to present an ID and take the medicine in front of the pharmacist, the JPA website explains.

The minimum age is set at 16 and under 18 they should be accompanied by a parent or guardian, according to the same source.

Citizen Program Supporters “Emergency contraception at the pharmacy” however judged that the trial in question was being carried out on too small a scale as, according to their calculations, it only concerns “0.2% of Japan’s 60,000 pharmacies”.

Mandatory parental consent for minors it is also a big obstacle, according to Asuka Someya, one of the collective’s members.

“There are many who say that they cannot talk to their parents about a potential pregnancy. It will be difficult if they have to talk to them about their sexual experiences,” says Someya.

“We again asked the Ministry of Health to make the pill fully and quickly available in pharmacies” without restrictions, she added.

This experiment was decided after this year’s survey by the Japanese Ministry of Health, in which 97% of the 46,000 people surveyed were in favor of this measure.

The morning after pill is freely available in about 90 countries in the world, according to the ministry.

The World Health Organization estimates on its website that emergency contraception “must be systematically included in all national family planning programs”.