The fourth episode of the drama series "Is It Wrong for a Woman Not to Give Birth? DINKs' Ten Months and Ten Days" (TV Tokyo, Mondays at 11:06 PM), starring actress Emma Miyazawa, aired on April 27th. The words and actions of Asa's (Miyazawa) mother, Aiko Matsubara (Naomi Nishida), sparked outrage on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
The drama is based on the manga "DINKs' Ten Months and Ten Days: Is It Wrong to Be a Woman Who Doesn't Have Children?" by Kitamitsu Atsuki. The story follows a couple who are both working and have intentionally chosen not to have children, a "DINKs" (Double Income No Kids) couple, who live a peaceful and free life until the protagonist becomes unexpectedly pregnant due to her husband's planned betrayal. The drama depicts their struggles as they search for the right form of family and continue to face choices with no easy answers.
When Aiko learned of Asa's pregnancy, she told Asa, "You should have an abortion. A cold-hearted person like you could never be a mother. It would be a shame for the child to be born with you as its mother." This incident led to Asa blocking Aiko's calls.
One night, Aiko suddenly showed up at Asa's house and, while making sarcastic remarks like, "There's no need for both of you to block my calls. You're really underhanded," apologized for telling Asa to have an abortion.
Meanwhile, Aiko handed Asa a present that her son Naoki (Atsuki Mashiko), who lives a reclusive life, had bought for her, without his permission.
The present was a bib. Aiko said, "It looks like she went to buy it by herself. Naoki must have been really happy that you were having a baby for him to go out like that. Thank you!" and smiled, waving towards Asa's belly. She continued without any hesitation, "Give birth to a healthy baby. It's the only thing Naoki is looking forward to. Do your best!"
On social media, comments such as "This mother is absolutely the worst," "Asa's mother is so awful!", "The mother is so scum, it pisses me off lol," and "She's truly the worst mother ever" became a hot topic.
