Organ transplantation in Japan - wikipedia Organ transplantation in Japan Organ transplantation in Japan is regulated by the 1997 Organ Transplant Law which legalized organ procurement from `` brain dead '' donors. After an early involvement in organ transplantation that was on a par with developments in the rest of the world, attitudes in Japan altered after a transplant by Dr. Wada in 1968 failed, and a subsequent ban on cadaveric organ donation lasted thirty years. The first transplant after the Organ Transplant Law had defined `` brain death '' took place in February 1999. Due to cultural reasons and a relative distrust of modern medicine, the rate of organ donation in Japan is significantly lower than in Western countries. History The first organ transplant in Japan took place at Niigata University in 1956 when a kidney was temporarily transplanted to a patient with acute renal failure. In 1964 a permanent and full - scale kidney transplant was successfully undertaken at the University of Tokyo, and by 1992 nearly 9,000 kidney transplants had taken place. In the same year, a liver transplant was performed at Chiba University by Professor Komei Nakayama. The first heart transplant in Japan was conducted at Sapporo Medical University in 1968 by Dr Wada. This operation attracted concerns that Dr. Wada 's evaluation of brain death was inappropriate, and even though an investigation of possible criminal liability was dismissed, a distrust of organ transplanting developed, particularly of transplants from brain dead donors. This brought subsequent developments in transplanting to a halt. Cultural attitudes The Japanese people 's views regarding life, death, ethics and religion have influenced their negative attitude toward organ transplanting. The Wada heart transplant in 1968 increased a sense of apprehension, especially regarding the evaluation of brain death. The Shinto religion regards death as impure, and has tainted connotations which have carried through into Japanese culture. References ^ Jump up to : `` Japan Organ Transplant Network Organ Transplanting in Japan ''. www.jotnw.or.jp. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. Jump up ^ `` BBC News ''. news.bbc.co.uk. 1999 - 02 - 28. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Brain Death and Transplantation : The Japanese ''. Medscape. 2000 - 04 - 25. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 17. Jump up ^ `` SpringerLink - Journal Article ''. www.springerlink.com. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. Jump up ^ Case studies on human rights in Japan - Google Books. books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. ^ Jump up to : `` Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Asia -- de Villa and Lo 12 ( 11 ) : 1321 -- The Oncologist ''. theoncologist.alphamedpress.org. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Organ Transplantation and Brain - Death in Japan ''. www.bioethics.jp. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. Jump up ^ `` Japan Organ Transplant Network The History of Transplanting ''. www.jotnw.or.jp. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 05. Organ transplantation Types Allotransplantation ABOi Autotransplantation Xenotransplantation Organs and tissues Bone Bone marrow Brain Corneal Face Hand Head Heart Heart -- lung Intestine Kidney Liver Living donor Lung Pancreas Islet cell Penis Skin Spleen Testicle Thymus Uterus Vagina Medical grafting Bone grafting Skin grafting Vascular grafting Organ donation Non-heart - beating donation Organ harvesting Organ trade Complications Graft - versus - host disease Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder Transplant rejection Transplant networks and government departments Balttransplant BC Transplant Society Eurotransplant Gift of Life Marrow Registry Human Tissue Authority LifeSharers National Marrow Donor Program NOD - Lb National Transplant Organization NHS Blood and Transplant Scandiatransplant Trillium Gift of Life Network United Network for Organ Sharing Advocacy organizations Anthony Nolan Donate Life America Halachic Organ Donor Society Kidney Foundation of Canada National Kidney Foundation ORGANIZE Joint societies American Society of Nephrology American Society of Transplantation Canadian Society of Transplantation Countries Organ transplantation in different countries Organ transplantation in China Organ transplantation in Israel Organ transplantation in Japan Organ theft in Kosovo Gurgaon kidney scandal People Heart Christiaan Barnard James D. Hardy Adrian Kantrowitz Richard Lower Norman Shumway Kidney J. Hartwell Harrison John P. Merrill Joseph Murray Michael Woodruff Liver Fikri Alican James D. Hardy Thomas Starzl Lung Fikri Alican Joel D. Cooper Vladimir Demikhov James D. Hardy Penis André van der Merwe Other Alexis Carrel Jean - Michel Dubernard Donna Mansell Bruce Reitz List of organ transplant donors and recipients Related topics Biomedical tissue Edmonton protocol Eye bank Immunosuppressive drugs Lung allocation score Machine perfusion Total body irradiation Frankenstein 's monster Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Organ_transplantation_in_Japan&oldid=748121223 '' Categories : Health in Japan Organ transplantation by country Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 6 November 2016, at 13 : 17. About Wikipedia

Question: why is organ transplanting rare in japan relative to transplants in other developed nations
Answer: cultural reasons