中国臓器仲介

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Nov. 14, 2008)

Relax rules to allow more organ transplants

中国臓器仲介　移植できぬ国内状況も問題だ（11月14日付・読売社説）

How wide has the organ transplant brokerage business spread abroad?

　臓器移植を仲介する海外ビジネスは、どこまで広がっているのか。

The Japanese police have started investigating an organization that brokered organ transplants in China for Japanese recipients.

　警察当局が、中国で日本人への臓器移植仲介事業を手掛けていた団体の捜査に乗り出した。

Japan's Organ Transplant Law prohibits providing or brokering organs for profit, and also is enforceable on such acts committed abroad. The police must figure out the full picture of this incident.

　臓器移植法は、臓器の提供や仲介によって利益を得ることを禁じており、国外での行為も処罰される。きちんと実態を解明しなければならない。

However, how exactly the police started investigating this organ transplant brokerage organization is not a simple story.

　日本の警察が捜査を開始した経緯は複雑である。

A Japanese man, who headed the organization, was arrested in China for allegedly violating provisions implemented last year to prohibit the selling and buying of organs. However, a Chinese court never attempted to prosecute the man for the illegality of his organ brokerage business. He was found guilty for falsely advertising his organ transplant business and was deported, returning to Japan on Tuesday.

　中国でも昨年から臓器売買を禁じる法令が施行されており、仲介団体の日本人代表は、これに違反したとして中国で逮捕された。しかし、裁判では移植仲介の違法性は全く審理されずに虚偽広告罪で有罪を言い渡され、国外追放となって先日帰国した。

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A test of Japan-China ties

It is said that more than 10,000 organ transplants are conducted annually in China, with most of the organs taken from death-row inmates. Since organ transplants there are not based on good-will donations from those who end up brain-dead following an accident or through natural causes, it is easy to imagine that money is paid under the table in compensation for organs.

　中国では、年間１万件以上の臓器移植が行われ、提供臓器の大半が死刑囚のものだと指摘されている。不慮の事故で脳死となった人などからの善意の提供を前提としておらず、臓器の対価として金銭が水面下で動いていることは容易に推測できる。

Such circumstances in China might have played a part in the Japanese man not being prosecuted over the organ transplant brokerage. Since China did not try to prosecute him, the Japanese police now have good reason to investigate what he did in the country.

　移植仲介が不問とされた背景にはそうした事情もあろう。中国側が裁かなかった以上、日本側で調べるのは当然だ。

Whether the police can place criminal charges on him depends on the cooperation of Chinese investigative authorities. This will become the first case to test an investigative cooperation treaty that is set to go into force between Japan and China at the end of this month.

　実際に刑事責任を問えるかどうかは、中国側の捜査協力が不可欠となる。今月末に発効する日中間の刑事共助条約が機能するか、今後の試金石ともなるだろう。

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Law doesn't fit situation

Behind the brokering of organs abroad is the fact that it is very difficult to get a transplant operation in Japan.

　こうした問題が起こる背景には国内ではほとんど臓器移植を受けられないという現状がある。

Only 76 transplant operations have been conducted with organs from brain-dead donors since the Organ Transplant Law was implemented in 1997 because very strict regulations not found in any other country are imposed on transplants in Japan.

　１９９７年に臓器移植法が施行されて以来、実施された脳死移植は７６例にすぎない。脳死した人からの移植に、世界で例のない厳しい条件を定めているからだ。

In addition to consent from donors made on special cards or in other forms of writing, permission is needed from the families of brain-dead people to have organs transplanted. Also, under the regulations, only those aged 15 or older are deemed capable of giving consent for donating their organs. This means it is almost impossible for babies and toddlers to receive transplants in Japan because the organs of people aged 15 or older are too big.

　脳死した本人が、カードなど書面で提供意思を残していることに加え、家族の同意も必要だ。提供意思の表示能力があるのは１５歳以上、ともされている。乳幼児は臓器の大きさが合わないため、国内で心臓などの移植手術を受けることは不可能に近い。

This forces many people, including babies, toddlers and even adults, to travel abroad to receive organ transplants.

　このため乳幼児から大人まで、多くの人が移植目的で海外に渡航しているのが現実だ。

Several bills to revise the Organ Transplant Law have already been submitted to the Diet, including one that would allow organ transplants through the agreement of family members if consent of the brain-dead person cannot be confirmed, which is similar to laws in many other countries.

　国会には、諸外国と同様に、本人の意思が分からない時は家族の承諾で移植を認める案など、複数の改正案が提出されている。

However, why in the world are lawmakers not deliberating on these bills?

ところが一向に審議されないのはどうしたことか。

Japan is restricting the transplant of organs from brain-dead donors within the country while its people are receiving organs abroad--actually, they are essentially buying organs. This situation cannot last forever.

　国内で脳死移植を制限しながら外国で臓器をもらう。いや、事実上買っている。この状況をいつまでも続けるわけにはいかない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 14, 2008)

（2008年11月14日01時51分  読売新聞）