Abstract
Detailed observation of the bodies was first reported in the Nara period in Japan. Recent advances of the postmortem inspections are involved in not only traditional autopsies but also the establishment of postmortem imaging called "Autopsy imaging (Ai)". In contrast to the decrease in autopsy rates in several decades, the frequency of postmortem imaging is dramatically increasing during this century in Japan and Western countries. However, the standard protocol has not established in our country yet. The three different procedures of Ai are performed in each facility as follows: i) the Ai inspections followed by autopsies in the limited cases without clarifying the cause of death by Ai, ii) the Ai as a supplement to the traditional autopsies, iii) the Ai in the rejected cases of hospital autopsies. Because many physicians worldwide are concerned about decreased autopsy rates, further postmortem inspection systems such as the minimally invasive autopsy in combination with Ai would be seek in a near future.
