Japan, Research and the Meaning of Life
by Assuntina Morresi, Roberto Sgaramella
The sense of the evidence of life and death is very strong in traditional Japanese culture. The Japanese have a marked sensitivity for what they perceive as "evident", even if it is not tangible or plain to see. This "obviousness" was probably also perceived by Prof. Yamanaka in his stem-cell research. It is "evidence of life".
This interesting thought was expressed by H.E. Kagefumi Ueno, Ambassador of Japan to the Holy See, at a meeting with two correspondents from the Italian daily edition of L'Osservatore Romano.
The diplomat's reflection was sparked by the genetic discovery made in the Empire of the Rising Sun in 2007. It involved cellular reprogramming by means of which a researcher, Shinya Yamanaka, succeeded in "rejuvenating" adult skin cells to a stage that was close to embryonic. The new cells were identified by the media as "ethical stem cells" because they would have the same properties as embryonic stem cells but could be produced without the destruction of human embryos.
This is the greatest discovery of the year that has just ended and indisputably one of the most important in the field of genetics. It induced an authoritative paper, the New York Times, to devote a lengthy article (11 December 2007) to this scientist of the "Institute for Integrated Cells — Material Sciences" at Kyoto University.
The Ambassador wished to describe the particularities of the Japanese position on the new problems that scientific research creates. He commented on a previous article, once again published in the New York Times (22 November 2007), in which the attitudes toward genetic research of various Far Eastern nations were compared with those predominant in Western countries of Christian tradition and those with a secularized culture.
H.E. Ueno stressed that Japan's position cannot be equated via erroneous simplification with that of its neighbours, such as China or South Korea. Nature is a basic element of traditional Japanese culture. The Japanese have the greatest respect for natural laws and this respect makes them very cautious about any human process that is capable of altering them.
Nonetheless, certain innovations with laws and rules similar to those in other developed countries have been introduced into the Japanese legislation concerning scientific research. In Japan the production of stem-cell lines from human embryos is permitted, but within limits. In the Empire of the Rising Sun there are today three authorized lines.
Ambassador Ueno was asked how scientific progress and tradition can coexist in his nation. The Japanese representative responded by giving practical examples: with regard to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), China and India have decided to face the problem from the market economy viewpoint and are reportedly not opposed to these types of products.
However, if GMOs were to be produced in Japan, knowing that they were organisms whose natural or original state had been modified, people would refuse to eat them. Japan's official position in this regard is far closer to the European than to the United States stance.
When some genetically modified products are imported from the U.S.A., Japanese consumers are demanding and request detailed labels. They want to know the "how" and "when" of the product. Quality control is very stringent and in practice certain types of products are not imported because it is common knowledge that there would be no market for them.
Another example of this is their attitude towards organ transplants. In Japan there is strong opposition to the transplantation of internal organs. In recent years the problem has also arisen from the legislative viewpoint, but the Japanese consider the subject taboo. Those in need of such an operation who can afford it therefore go to hospitals abroad.
No meddling with Nature
Research on human embryos follows the same logic. The manipulation of human embryos is frowned upon and this type of experimentation is unacceptable in Japanese culture.
According to the Ambassador, the Japanese also have serious reservations about the techniques of assisted procreation. There is not much enthusiasm for the process and in this case too, people are attached to tradition and prefer natural pregnancies.
Furthermore, there is no interest in modifying current legislation in this sector: aspects such as the possibility of gamete donation and surrogate motherhood are rejected. In short, no changes in the situation are foreseen.
The Diplomat stressed that news of the discovery of cell reprogramming was acclaimed with joy throughout the nation. He added that he had immediately told the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo that the Holy See had expressed satisfaction at the discovery.
The Japanese press explained that some time ago Dr. Yamanaka had performed a certain experiment on rats which had led to a discovery that made it possible to dispense with the manipulation of human embryos; hence, it was indeed a noteworthy triumph, not only from the scientific but above all from the ethical viewpoint. There are hopes that it will lead to a greater investment in scientific research in Japan, given that many research groups across the Country are now already working in this sector.
In an article published in Nature magazine, which appeared online on 14 December 2007, it was noted that 20 studies are currently published on this topic and at least seven are written by Japanese scientists.
In his interview with the New York Times, Dr Yamanaka said that while looking at a human embryo under the microscope he suddenly realized that there was only "little difference" between this embryo and his daughter. He thus had to find an alternative to doing research without destroying human embryos. This consideration, in addition to scientific reasons, would seem to have been determined by a strong ethical component and perhaps also by religious faith.
Ambassador Uemo maintains that it was not a strictly speaking religious impulse, as the West understands it; in fact, Dr Yamanaka himself does not happen to be Christian.
In harmony with Japanese culture, the Diplomat said, Dr Yamanaka probably saw an "evidence of life". Thus, it is possible to affirm that the idea — launched in Nature Magazine when Dolly the sheep was cloned — that scientific innovations could change human nature is remote from Japanese sensibilities.
Some Japanese scientists may agree with what the scientific publication stated, but Japanese sensibilities are far from this approach. The idea of cloning is totally foreign to a Japanese conception of life. With regard to stem cells, the "perception of life" is an integral part of the deeper conception of existence according to Japanese tradition.
The concept of God the Creator does not exist for the Japanese, the Ambassador emphasized, but nature does: an all-embracing cosmos with which man and creation are one. Nature includes within itself its generative being and itself becomes a divinity, a reason why in Shintoism nature is venerated in its various forms — mountains, rivers and all the rest. It is a cosmos in which everything has a soul.
The concept of soul does not correspond to something at the root of existence. In Japanese there is an expression that conveys this concept: tamashi, which is translated as the word "soul". But this word is increasingly being replaced by soul as taken from the English, better suited to expressing the Western ideal of "soul".
'Identity does not exist'
In the language of the Empire of the Rising Sun, perhaps the most fitting term is seishin, which means "spirit" in the broad sense. The word seishin is related to ego, the self, the sense of self. Yet the ways in which a Japanese and a Westerner consider their own self are diametrically opposed.
Ambassador Ueno was asked what the divergence on the concept of the "I" consisted in. He explained that in the Western world the human ego is a creature made by God in his image and likeness and thus possesses an individual principle with the possibility of making decisions and choices. Therefore, the most important element of Western culture is to consolidate the "I", to make it unique.
In the case of Japanese culture, on the contrary, and especially with reference to the Zen conception, people speak of "cancelling the self" since man is a miniscule part of the universe. The truly illuminated person is the one who succeeds in cancelling his own self, integrating it with nature, deleting it, making it disappear. All this is of course at a philosophical level.
In this vision, the possession of a clearly defined ego is an obstacle that stands in the way of absolute tranquillity.
The Japanese Diplomat offered a clarification to make the concept easier to understand: for the Western world, having a consolidated self means having one's own identity, and this is seen as a critical aspect. For the Empire of the Rising Sun, however, identity should be lost, it must not exist, to the extent that in Japanese there is no word for identity. When necessary the English word identity is used.
Annihilation of the ego in Japanese culture not only modifies the individual's conception of life but also of death. So for example, in the traditional culture there is strong resistance to accepting that a doctor decides when a person is dead. Scientifically, and also from the legal standpoint, a doctor must of course certify death, but for the Japanese mind there are some things, above all life and death, on which science and medicine cannot have the last word.
This word instead concerns the human heart, understood as the profound sentiment of the person, a perception of the evidence of life and of death. This is a typical Japanese sentiment. Modern civilization refers to tangible facts, whereas in Japan great store is set particularly by what exists: by what actually exists in the heart even if it is invisible or has no material form.
Several years ago this topic was hotly discussed by the "Diet" (Japanese Parliament), and public opinion participated in the debate through the media. Still today, within the Japanese mentality, the perception of the evidence of life and of death has not changed.
When a person dies, H.E. Ueno said, according to the Japanese religious sense where Shintoism and Buddhism are often integrated, his spirit finds it difficult to detach itself from the beloved place and Buddhists believe it lingers there for a period of 49 days. During this period prayers are recited to encourage the spirit to succeed in detaching itself and to set out for a different place.
This is why ceremonies for the dead are never sad. Indeed, parties are organized for relatives and friends in the home of the deceased person, flowers, food and even certain alcoholic drinks are offered because the spirit of death has to be urged to move on to a new place. It is believed that it is more difficult for the spirit of a person who has recently died to leave his relatives if they appear to be grieving.
The dead are still present
In Japanese homes it is not unusual for the main meal, usually dinner, to be prepared beside the deceased person: the table is set and a spot is kept for the person who has recently died, usually represented by a photograph in his customary place.
The deceased, like the other guests, are served their favourite food and are addressed as if they were alive and present. This tradition is not a pretence produced by stretching the imagination. The Japanese have a perception of the evidence of his presence among them; they know that their deceased love one is still there.
After 49 days, as in the ancient Greco-Latin tradition, the soul crosses a river and reaches the opposite bank. Many Buddhist schools of thought maintain that once a year, on the night of 15 August — the celebration of the dead in Japan — souls that have passed on re-cross the river to visit their loved ones.
In the case of the Shinto religion, however, there is no river to be crossed and souls do not go very far from their dwelling place; it is believed they go to a wooded spot or a mountain in the vicinity. In short, they remain in the area where they lived.
The Japanese Ambassador's account of funeral customs in his Country was extremely interesting and he explained the reasons for certain customs, which without full knowledge might seem at the least exotic.
Yet this is not the last of the surprises in the Diplomat's explanation. In Japan, he added, graves for animals also exist. The police, for example, bury their police dogs in special cemeteries.
There are even ceremonial farewells for utensils called kuyo, curiously similar to the ceremonies proper to the Maya of Guatemala and the Hindus, both with regard to the implements used by artists or for example, the simple needles used by a dressmaker. When an object is no longer used, before being put away for ever, it becomes the protagonist of a small thanksgiving ceremony for having been so long in use.
We also asked the Ambassador about the significance of the small stone stelae one often finds when walking along the roads of a Japanese province. These stelae are draped in tiny garments for newborn babies and votive offerings are frequently placed in front of them. What are they, we wanted to know.
They are funeral monuments to unborn children, the Japanese Ambassador answered, beings who naturally miscarried or were voluntarily aborted but in any case who were never born.
These stelae express the sorrow of having lost something beloved, of not having given life to a small new being. Mothers build the monuments, putting one stone atop another, and decorate them with tiny red hoods, white aprons and offerings of mandarins. There is also a divinity who protects these very beings who were never born.
As to whether, in Japanese tradition, the unborn have souls like adults, the Ambassador pointed out that there is no single view concerning this and that it depends upon different sensibilities. However, it is not generally believed that a soul exists from the very first moment of life.
Great respect for ancestors is a substratum of Japanese spirituality, the Ambassador concluded. It is great respect for those whom the spirit has represented in life: the spirit which at the moment of death, for Shintoism, returns to the universal spirit of nature.
H.E. Ueno said that he had been born into a Shinto family and that in his home there was a place where offerings were placed for the ancestors, Kamidana, who were venerated for at least 100 years after their death. Buddhists also have a place in their homes which is kept for the worship of their ancestors, the Butsudan, and both forms of worship are frequently combined within the same family.
We asked the Japanese Ambassador to the Holy See one last question on how Japan could be described today. His response: a country where the new is integrated into the old and regenerates it, but is never transformed into something entirely new.
This item 8223 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
