Diversification in the concept of "birth and death": the controversy about "brain death and organ transplantation" in Japan.
There is a lot of hesitation in Japan in defining brain death as the death of the individual and in proceeding to organ transplantation. Regarding the diagnostic criteria of brain death, those issued by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1985 are sufficient for judgment of brain death. Many people, however, do not accept brain death as death of the individual, and even those who admit brain death as death of the individual hesitate to approve of the actual removal of organs from brain dead patients. Thus, the controversy about brain death in Japan appears to be separated from the objective of organ transplantation.
Takeda General Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
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D001926:Brain Death; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016377:Organ Transplantation