Organ Donation in Japan: A Medical Anthropological Study

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Organ Donation in Japan: A Medical Anthropological Study by Maria-Keiko Yasuoka reveals insight into Japan as the country with the most severe organ shortages and the lowest numbers of organ donations among medically advanced countries. The history of organ transplantation in Japan is a unique and troubled one. Many academic hypotheses such as cultural barriers, the Japanese concept of the dead body, traditional beliefs, and so on have been advanced to explain the situation. However, little research has yet revealed the truth behind the world of Japanese organ transplantation. Yasuoka conducts direct interview research with Japanese concerned parties in regards to organ transplantation (including transplant surgeons, recipients, and donor families). In this book, she analyzes their narrative responses, considering their distinctive ideas, interpretations, and dilemmas, and sheds light on the real reasons behind the issues. Organ Donation in Japan is the first book to delve into the challenging and taboo Japanese concepts of life and death surrounding organ transplantation by thoroughly presenting and investigating the narratives of concerned parties.

Reviews

Yasuokas thoughtful study traces the bumpy road to successful organ transplantation in Japan, where cadaveric (brain dead) donation, though legal, has continued to generate widespread suspicion and resistance for over three decades. An engrossing and accessible account, this work carefully probes professional and lay parties personal narratives, an approach that offers new insights into this persistent medical conundrum. -- Lesley A. Sharp, Barnard College; Columbia University
Not since the 2001 publication of Margaret Locks Twice Dead have we been able to follow the emerging story of organ transplantation in Japan. Japanese medical anthropologist Maria Yasuoka thus offers us a timely and sensitive ethnographic portrayal of the hopes, realities, and ongoing challenges faced by Japanese transplant surgeons, organ recipients, and donor families. Foregrounding the narratives of these various parties, Organ Donation in Japan represents a major contribution to medical anthropology, bioethics, and Asian studies. -- Marcia Inhorn, Yale University
Japanese medical systems have been reluctant to procure organs from brain-dead donors whose hearts continue to beat with the aid of ventilators. Yasuokas study provides a fascinating account of the stories of the few Japanese donor families and organ recipients, as well as of the transplant surgeons, and coordinators who take part in this controversial practice. Yasuokas writing is sensitive to an emerging medical field that has been racked with public debate, scandal, malpractice, medical mistrust, organ tourism, tragic and sudden deaths, as well as moments of intense generosity and sacrifice moved by the promise of saving lives -- Sherine Hamdy, Brown University

Author Bio

Maria-Keiko Yasuoka is a visiting researcher at the Hokkaido University School of Medicine in Japan.