The surrogate mother, a Japanese woman, is also believed to be the oldest woman to have given birth there.

“Both surrogate mother and baby were fine,” said Chihiro Netsu, a spokeswoman for a clinic north-west of Tokyo where the baby was born.

She declined to give information on the exact date of birth or gender.

The clinic performed the procedure because of the daughter’s medical problems, the spokeswoman said.

Dr Yahiro Netsu, who runs the clinic, has long defied national opposition to such procedures, arguing that they should be an option for women who are infertile.

In 2001, he performed what is thought to be Japan’s first successful surrogate birth.

In 1998 Dr Netsu was expelled from Japan’s gynaecology association for performing in-vitro fertilizations with eggs and sperm of donors who were not married to each other. He was later reinstated.