A survey by the Ministry of Health and the Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA) revealed that less than 2% of Japanese women between 16 and 49 take the Pill. This contrasts with 48.6% of German women and 35.6% of French women in the same age group.

In addition to its contraceptive effect, Dr. Kitamura explains that the Pill combats menstrual pain, acne, premenstrual syndrome and endometriosis, or inflammation of the lining of the uterus. The Pill also reduces the chance of contracting certain types of cancer, fights osteoporosis, benign breast disease and anemia.

For many years, before it was made publicly available in 1999, Japanese women were warned of the health risks of taking the Pill, such as the increased risk of contracting thrombosis or breast cancer. But Dr. Kitamura believes that in the 18 years he has been prescribing the Pill it only improves the quality of a woman's life.

When considering figures for women who became pregnant despite using contraception, the Pill is shown to be more effective than any other method, including sterilization.

In addition, a survey of over 800 women who started taking the Pill in April 2004 showed that the top answer among all age groups for the effects of the Pill was "a more stable period that made it easier to schedule things such as work and travel."