McConnell J R
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.
J Med Ethics. 1999 Aug;25(4):322-4. doi: 10.1136/jme.25.4.322.
In the latter half of the twentieth century, developed countries of the world have made tremendous strides in organ donation and transplantation. However, in this area of medicine, Japan has been slow to follow. Japanese ethics, deeply rooted in religion and tradition, have affected their outlook on life and death. Because the Japanese have only recently started to acknowledge the concept of brain death, transplantation of major organs has been hindered in that country. Currently, there is a dual definition of death in Japan, intended to satisfy both sides of the issue. This interesting paradox, which still stands to be fully resolved, illustrates the contentious conflict between medical ethics and medical progress in Japan.
在二十世纪后半叶，世界上的发达国家在器官捐献与移植方面取得了巨大进展。然而，在医学的这一领域，日本却进展缓慢。深深植根于宗教和传统的日本伦理观念，影响了他们对生与死的看法。由于日本人直到最近才开始认可脑死亡的概念，该国的主要器官移植一直受到阻碍。目前，日本存在死亡的双重定义，旨在兼顾问题的两个方面。这个有趣的悖论仍有待全面解决，它体现了日本医学伦理与医学进步之间的争议性冲突。
