26 years after the country’s organ transplant law went into effect in 1997, Japan has recorded the 1,000th case of brain-dead organ donations, according to the Japan Organ Transplant Network.
According to the network, the 1,000th donor was a guy in his 60s who had been legally certified brain dead at a hospital in western Japan. On Saturday, his organs were removed, and patients were to receive transplants of his kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart.
Less than 3% of patients seeking organ transplants have actually obtained them, thus even if the number of brain-dead donors has increased, there is still a scarcity of donors.
Japan’s first organ donation under the law was conducted in 1999. Initially, donations often numbered less than 10 per year as organ donation required a written declaration of intent from donors.
In 2010, the law was revised to allow donations with the consent of a family member and to allow donations from children under the age of 15.
