By Anil Sharma
Jaipur, Aug 9 (IANS) Finally, there’s some good news for Manji, the Japanese baby born to a surrogate Indian mother. With her birth certificate being issued in the name of her biological father, the 16-day-old infant’s chances of getting a Japanese passport have brightened. The certificate was issued by the municipal authorities in Anand, Gujarat, where she was born, in the name of her father Ikufumi Yamada. Manji is currently at the Arya Hospital in Jaipur where she was shifted soon afterwards.

“We received the birth certificate today and forwarded it to Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaisingh, seeking her advice on the future course of action,” said Sanjay Arya, who runs the Jaipur hospital.

Mehak Sethi, a lawyer who works with Jaisingh, told IANS on phone from Delhi: “I too have heard about the birth certificate. But I cannot confirm it.”

Controversy has surrounded Manji ever since she was born July 25.

Her troubles began when her father Ikufumi Yamada divorced his wife Yuki. By that time, he had already donated his sperm and the embryo had been transplanted in the surrogate Indian mother in Anand. Yuki subsequently disowned the child.

It was Kamal Vijayvargiya, a jeweller from Jaipur who is settled in Tokyo and is a close friend of Ikufumi, who lent a helping hand. He got Manji shifted out of Anand as Gujarat had just seen serial blasts and then got Ikufumi’s mother to come down and take care of the child.

Ikufumi was keen to take the girl back home to Tokyo, but it was not certain whether he would get custody of the child. With the birth certificate being issued in his name, Manji may get a Japanese home soon.