Conflicting Ideals of Japanese Civilization

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In "Regulating Cell Lives In Japan: Avoiding Scandal and Sticking to Nature," Margaret Sleeboom-Faulkner discusses the regulation and support of certain types of embryonic stem cell research in Japan. She argues that Japan is an aging welfare society, and is trying to reconcile the oft-competing ideals of remaining at the forefront of scientific development while also staying true to Japanese cultural ideals. One interesting section in this article to me was the section about the evolution of abortion laws in Japan and the way in which that issue is approached in Japan today. Faulkner explains that Japanese culture generally prioritizes the ideals of purity, naturalness, and aversion to scandal. In this sense, it was considered taboo to even talk about the issue of abortion in public discourse. However, now, the Japanese wish to be among the world’s most advanced scientific powers. This has created a new public discourse in Japan, which is represented by the study that Faulkner explains in the article. Interestingly, Faulker notes that about a quarter of the interviewees (which include scientists, students, housewives, policymakers) mentioned on their own accord that Japan is not particularly good at holding bioethical debate. The idea of “aversion to scandal” still plays a huge role in the way the government approaches problem solving and simply the way the culture operates.

This section is particularly interesting to me because Japan, a close ally of the United States, is not usually seen as reactionary on the world stage. Japan wants to be at the forefront of scientific advancement because it has the resources and capabilities of being a leader in scientific research, such as stem cell research. However, this conflict represents a bigger conflict that many countries deal with between cultural norms and scientific progression. Many countries would be afraid to admit that these two ideals are at odds with each other. Even though Japan has not done an amazing job at creating this public discourse, Faulkner explains that people’s views on bioethics in Japan vary immensely. Admitting that there is a diversity of opinions on this controversial issue is a great start towards creating a safe public discourse that can create a society in which scientific research is advanced without compromising cultural ideals.