Primary school pupil with gender disorder to get hormone treatment

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110119p2g00m0dm084000c.html

KOBE (Kyodo) -- A 12-year-old pupil, who was born a boy but lives as a girl due to gender identity disorder, will undergo hormonal treatment at Osaka Medical College Hospital in order to inhibit physical changes during adolescence, hospital sources said Wednesday.

It is believed to be the first such medical procedure in Japan involving a child aged 15 or younger, according to Toshiyuki Oshima, law professor at Kyushu International University and advisor for the Japanese Society of Gender Identity Disorder.

I personally think that is excellent news.

I am now deeply, darkly, passionately jealous of that kid .

Primary school pupil with gender disorder to get hormone treatment

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110119p2g00m0dm084000c.html

KOBE (Kyodo) -- A 12-year-old pupil, who was born a boy but lives as a girl due to gender identity disorder, will undergo hormonal treatment at Osaka Medical College Hospital in order to inhibit physical changes during adolescence, hospital sources said Wednesday.

QuoteThe treatment will begin as early as February to inject the patient living in Hyogo Prefecture with an antihormonal drug once a month to control the secretion of sex hormones so the patient will not be distressed by taking on the physical traits of an adult male, according to the sources.

The procedure, which is not covered by health insurance, costs 35,000 yen each time.

35k yen is over $400... a month?

Even without insurance, i've never heard of hormones costing *THAT* much..  Japan's medical culture is a little bit wonky compared to western practice in certain ways, so i'm not incredibly surprised.