The publication of Hahaoya ni natte kōkai shiteiru (Regretting Motherhood) in March 2022 attracted significant attention in Japanese media. This followed waves of interest across the globe since the book, by Israeli sociologist Orna Donath, was first published in 2017 and subsequently translated into multiple languages. Donath’s provocative study has caused outrage as well as earned praise for its tackling of a subject that remains a taboo in many societies, not least of all in Japan: women who express regret for having become mothers. This talk introduces Donath’s work, focusing in particular on the book’s reception in Japan, and what it reveals about notions and conditions of motherhood in a society in which the low birth rate continues to raise alarm. Details and registration here