Japanese Firm Officials Arrested for Arranging Illegal Organ Transplants in Cambodia and Belarus

For the first time since Japan enacted its Organ Transplant Law in 1997, suspects have been arrested for arranging illegal organ transplants overseas, local media including the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on July 8.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested three individuals associated with the incorporated association International Medical Consultation Office on charges of violating the Organ Transplant Law by arranging kidney transplants.
According to Japanese police, the suspects are accused of receiving 25 million yen (approximately 230 million won) for arranging a kidney transplant for a Japanese man in his 70s suffering from kidney disease, using a kidney believed to be from a woman in her 20s in Cambodia.
They are also suspected of arranging several other illegal organ transplants. One of the arrested suspects is reportedly also under suspicion of arranging an organ transplant in Belarus in 2023.
Japanese police are also investigating the Japanese man who received the kidney transplant in Cambodia through this organization for potential violations of the Organ Transplant Law.
Japan's Organ Transplant Law prohibits receiving financial gain in exchange for organ donation or brokerage. Violations are punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million yen (approximately 46.7 million won).
A Japanese expert on kidney transplants told local private broadcaster TBS, "Among developed nations, Japan has a very low number of organ donations, leading to many patients dying while waiting for transplants."
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※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.