Japan's Supreme Court has rejected a couple's appeal seeking recognition as the parents of a baby born to a surrogate mother.

The court on Friday upheld a previous ruling by the Osaka High Court that rejected the couple's demand that the law recognize the validity of a birth report listing themselves as the child's parents.

The ruling said motherhood is developed through a woman's experience of pregnancy and delivery and that recognizing the individual who gave birth to a baby as the mother is rational.

The court also added a cautionary statement on the potential for dispute between client couples and surrogate mothers.

The surrogate mother gave birth to twins after an in vitro fertilization that involved the husband's sperm and the egg of another woman.

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