Japan Heart Foundation Human Milk Bank Conducts First Nationwide Survey of 10,000 People on Awareness of Milk Banks

The Japan Heart Foundation Human Milk Bank (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Board Chair: Katsumi Mizuno) conducted a survey on awareness of 'milk banks' and 'donor milk,' targeting 10,000 men and women aged 17 and older nationwide. This is the first awareness survey covering all generations in Japan.

While overall awareness remains low (22.6% for 'milk banks,' 14.0% for 'donor milk'), it is significantly higher among expectant parents, ranging from 50% to 60% (59.2% for 'milk banks,' 55.4% for 'donor milk'), revealing a significant generational gap.

Additionally, while the intent of expectant parents to register as donors or recommend it (53.2%) and their intention to use donor milk (45.2%) are high, about half of the total population remains in a 'floating' state due to a lack of sufficient judgment criteria. This suggests that the lack of understanding from those around them may be a hurdle to donor registration and donor milk utilization.

As a foundation that centers its activities on awareness-raising, in addition to the stable supply of donor milk and research, we will continue to engage in multi-layered information dissemination.

Survey Overview:
- Target: 10,000 men and women aged 17+ across Japan
- Period: Jan 19–28, 2026
- Method: Internet survey
- Lead: Japan Heart Foundation Human Milk Bank
- Cooperation: Cross Marketing Inc.

The primary reason for wanting to register is pure altruism: 'to help pre-term infants' (71.9%), followed by 'to contribute to society' (60.7%).