The morning after TV Asahi's evening news show "Hodo Station" ran an interview with figure skater Miki Ando on July 1, the media was buzzing over the revelation that Ando had given birth in April. The baby was not the ostensible reason for the interview, which focused on her athletic activities, and the way Ando referred to the event made it seem as if TV Asahi didn't know about it beforehand, which is possible but difficult to believe. Ando may have done the interview at least partly to get the news of the birth out of the way before she starts training for a slot at the Sochi Olympics, and in that regard she was wise to choose "Hodo Station," which is more discreet than the morning shows. In any case, she had to expect the reaction that followed since it was clear from the conversation that she is not married at present.

Most of the coverage has been centered on speculation of who the father is. Ando's Facebook page and the Japan Skating Federation have reportedly been bombarded with derisive messages, which journalist Yoko Sakamoto, writing in Tokyo Shimbun, said could be expected because "Japanese people stress homogeneity" and resent anyone who is "different," adding that such a "loud response would be unthinkable in any other country," especially European ones, where out-of-wedlock births are "not uncommon."

But if the usual group of moral gatekeepers has emerged to vilify Ando, a fair number of people have also taken issue with the attention being paid. The weekly magazine Bunshun announced in its email magazine a plan to conduct a survey. "Do you support Miki Ando's giving birth?" was the proposed question, though what they really wanted to know was, "Do you support her giving birth to a baby out of wedlock?" Readers complained that the questionnaire was in bad taste, and Bunshun canceled it. Porn-paraphernalia entrepreneur and essayist Minori Kitahara told Tokyo Shimbun that the backlash was motivated by "women who wouldn't put up with it," adding that "men have to change, but women also have to speak out" on the issue of illegitimacy.