Abstract
This paper, reporting on selected data from a larger study, compares major end-of-life ethical problems in Japan and the West. Open-ended and force-choice questionnaire responses were collected from Japanese nurses, physicians and bioethicists (total N=121) and 102 Western counterparts. The combination, non-disclosure of diagnosis and prognosis to patients, the lack of patient autonomy, and the lack of informed consent was viewed as the major constellation of ethical problems by the Japanese respondents. In the west, treatment issues such as voluntary active euthanasia, transition from cure to palliative care, and pain management concerned the respondents most. Background factors and remedies for the major ethical dilemmas were examined from the social, cultural, and ethical perspectives.
