ABSTRACT
Implications of Japanese Religions in the Genomic Age: A Survey on Attitudes Towards Life and Death within Shinto, Buddhist and Christian groups
Noritoshi Tanida
INTRODUCTION
There are considerable cross-cultural differences in medical practices, especially in issues involving ethical problems such as reproductive medicine and the care of terminally ill patients. The difference been Western and Eastern countries is significant. Japan is a unique country where all kinds of medical technology have been adopted from Western culture, but the traditional way of thinking has persisted. Indeed, the matter of Japanese tradition and Western technology is often at the centre of discussions regarding life and death, as exemplified in the dispute over brain death and organ transplantation (Lock 1990: 99, Hardacre 1994: 585, Tanida 1996a: 201). Such a phenomenon is particularly marked in recent years, because Japanese attitudes toward death and dying have been changing. A typical example is the matter of euthanasia.
