Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed five women to his new-look 18-member cabinet. The most prominent appointee was Yuko Obuchi, daughter of a former prime minister, who became trade and economy minister. In making the appointments, Abe risked offending a long line of powerful men who had been waiting for promotions. Abe's wife, Akie, is herself outspoken, heaping praise on Peng Liyuan , wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Queen Mary Hospital finally allowed American Melissa Grenham to keep her placenta after giving birth to a baby boy. The public hospital had initially refused to give her the placenta on "public safety" grounds. She wants to convert it into capsules for consumption. Grenham said she was "very happy and very relieved" over the decision. The Hospital Authority said it would continue to consider similar requests on a case-by-case basis, taking into account public health and public interest. Some private hospitals allow women to keep placentas. Human rights lawyer Michael Vidler said the controversy could have been avoided with "a little bit of common sense and the timely recognition of women's rights".