Category: Organ Donation

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 14, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Elderly Japan Organ Donation Podcast

Japan’s Health Ministry Introducing System to Assist Institutions with ‘Brain-Death’ Organ Donations [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry this year started rolling out an online system to enable about 70 institutions with minimal experience in the processes behind organ donations from brain-dead patients to connect with core medical institutions that have abundant experience. The initiative seeks to help the inexperienced institutions with declaring patients as brain dead and is part of an effort to increase the number of organ donations in the country.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 13, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Japan Organ Donation

Japan’s Health Ministry Introducing System to Assist with Organ Donations; Institutions Inexperienced in Brain-Dead Donations To Get Help

Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry this year started rolling out an online system to enable about 70 institutions with minimal experience in the processes behind organ donations from brain-dead patients to connect with core medical institutions that have abundant experience.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 25, 2024 Number of comments0
Health Japan Organ Donation

509 Gave Up on Organ Transplants in Japan Last Year

A total of 509 patients in Japan gave up on organ transplant operations last year because hospitals were unable to carry out such procedures, a health ministry survey showed Tuesday. It was the first time the government conducted a fact-finding survey on the matter. A total of 3,706 people could not receive transplant operations last year, including 509 cases caused by reasons attributed to hospitals, such as the lack of hospital staff and insufficient space in intensive care units needed for operations.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 30, 2024 2
Intellectual disabilities Japan Organ Donation

Japan’s organ network voided donor intentions of mentally disabled

Japan’s key organ transplant network has invalidated the organ donation wishes of all individuals officially recognized as being intellectually disabled, the health ministry said Wednesday.

According to the operational guidelines of Japan’s organ transplant law, if a mentally disabled individual aged 15 or older lacks the capacity to express valid intent, organ removal should not be carried out.

However, the guidelines also state that an individual’s attending physician should assess whether their disability prevents them from expressing meaningful intent.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 13, 2024 1
Japan Medical Organ Donation Transplantation

Pigs for Organ Transplant Created for First Time in Japan

Japanese biotechnology startup PorMedTec Co. said Tuesday it has successfully created pigs for organ transplant into humans for the first time in Japan.

The Meiji University-driven firm used cells of pigs developed for xenotransplantation by U.S. startup eGenesis it imported in September last year. To suppress immune responses, the cell’s 10 genes were re-engineered.

Three genetically modified clone pigs were born on Sunday, PorMedTec said.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 28, 2023 Number of comments0
Japan Organ Donation Transplantation

Japan NPO Exec Gets 8 Months for Unauthorized Organ Transplant Brokering

Tokyo District Court sentenced an executive of a Japanese nonprofit organization to eight months in prison Tuesday for unauthorized brokering of organ transplants.

Presiding Judge Yoshiro Baba handed down the ruling to Hiromichi Kikuchi, 63. Prosecutors had sought a one-year term and a fine of 1 million yen.

The judge fined the NPO that supports patients of intractable diseases 1 million yen, as had been sought by the prosecution.