Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology
Year : 1999, Volume : 16, Issue : 1
First page : ( 15) Last page : ( 16)
Print ISSN : 0971-1929.

The present situation of euthanasia in Japan/Asia

Ohshima T., Director and Professor

Deptt. of Legal Medicine, Kanazawa University Facutly of Medicine, Takara-machi 13 - 1, Kanazawa 920–8640, Japan

Abstract

The concept of euthanasia has been not so precisely recognized in Japan. Until now, there have been a few adjudication cases where a patient with uncurable disease was led to his early death by his family member or his doctor, without having a chance to express his will and only with a putative intent, and these cases were judged as “guilty”, since they were not euthanasia in its true meaning. Although there is no legilsatin for euthanasia in Japan, four allowable conditions of active euthanasia were presented in 1995, and they are now considered as one of the guiding principles in Japan. In China and Sri Lanka, there is almost the same situation as in Japan; no legislation of euthanasia until now, and there are two different opinions; for or against euthanasia. A relatively much time is necessary for Japanese and Asian people to solve or overcome this problem.

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