Bioethics Education in Japan: Ethics Education for Medical and Nursing Students

Abstract

Since the term bioethics was introduced into Japan in the 1980s, the subject has been taught at different educational levels and in various professional contexts. For this reason, and also because everyone must inevitably confront the issues of inochi or seimei (life in Japanese) and shi (death), nobody can now doubt the significance of bioethics education for people in general, regardless of their interests or jobs. This is especially true in situations where people interface with the life sciences, including broad areas like medical science, nature, and human nature.