pp. 362-366 in Bioethics in Asia

Editors: Norio Fujiki and Darryl R. J. Macer, Ph.D.
Eubios Ethics Institute

Copyright 2000, Eubios Ethics Institute All commercial rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced for limited educational or academic use, however please enquire with the author.
F1. Opening to Fukui Satellite Symposium

 Masakatu Sudo.

President, Fukui Medical University

It is our great pleasure to welcome many distinguished participants from various countries to the Satellite Symposium on Medical Genetic Services and Bioethics in Fukui as the 6th International Bioethics Seminar in Fukui.

Advances in science and technology have brought about remarkable benefits to mankind. This year is the 20th anniversary of neonatal mass screening, one of the various genetic tests, in Japan. The purpose of neonatal screening is to secure early identification of problems and provide prompt treatment, and consequently, beneficial results have been obtained.

Recent progress in medicine, especially genetic medicine, has opened the door to gene diagnosis, gene therapy, biodrugs and so on. However, as everything has two sides, benefit and disadvantage, it is causing various new problems, legal, ethical and social, which were never experienced in the history of human evolution. Therefore, it is important to make every effort to prevent or minimize the adverse effects.

At the UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference in Kobe, these issues were discussed from various points of view such as law and ethics, Asian bioethics, education, human genome project and gene therapy. In this symposium also, the present state and perspectives of medical genetic services and bioethics in various countries will be presented and discussed.

I hope this symposium will stimulate a multidisciplinary discussion on the compatibility of medical genetic services and bioethics which is essential for medical genetic services that will lead to improved life for every individual.

F2. Welcome Address from Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports

 Wataru Iwamoto.

Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture

It is my great pleasure and honor to attend this symposium and make a welcome address for the Sixth International Bioethics Seminar in Fukui, 1997, the WHO Assisted Satellite Symposium of UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference, to say a few words on the behalf of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho).

I should like first to extend our hearty welcome to all participants, particularly to those scientists, who came a long way to Japan. Fukui Medical University has had 5 times the very important meeting of International Bioethics Seminars in Fukui, in order to make the hybrid of science, technology and humanity, and made a valuable contribution to the fields of international deliberation of the scientific and technological aspects as well as bioethical aspects. I should also like to express our appreciation to the organizers of Fukui Medical University for these fruitful successes. I believe this symposium is an important initiative of Fukui Medical University.

UNESCO has 4 years ago established the International Bioethics Committee to make international debates on ethical, legal and social issues, concerning the protection of human genome and human rights, as shown in the Universal UNESCO Declaration, which has just appeared now at General Assembly of UNESCO.

On the other hand, WHO has also stressed the importance of ethical legal and social issues in the fields of human health care, for which we have now had UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference and today's WHO Assisted Satellite Symposium in Fukui, under the auspices of Fukui Medical University.

We hope that cooperation of UNESCO, WHO, and Japan will further develop in these medical biological and multidisciplinary social science. As you know, recent developments of sciences and technology will stimulate our debates on bioethics and formulate a wonderful oppotunity for these new science worlds with humanity and also show the human welfare in whole world, through human genome research and gene therapy as well.

In conclusion, I should like again to show deep respect to President Sudo and his colleagues of Fukui Medical University, who worked so hard to realize this ABC 97 in Kobe and its Satellite Symposium in Fukui today, and hope to all participants, who make great success and bring back these fruitful results to their own countries.

F3. Welcome Address

 Yukio Kurita

Governor of Fukui Prefecture, Japan.

Read by Ichiro Iioka of the Health Department

 I wish to thank you for inviting me to this reception party of the UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference. I wish to welcome you as the representative of the people of Fukui Prefecture, as you have traveled here from countries all over the world as well as from around the nation of Japan.

It has been 10 years since the first International Bioethics Seminar was held here in Fukui in 1987. During this time there has truly been tremendous progress in field of medical technology. Likewise, the application of this high level of medical technology in clinical medicine has had a great impact on the traditional understandings of life and ethics.

It is within this context that you come together as representatives of countries centering in Asia to discuss the various ethical, legal and social issues each country is facing as a result of genetic engineering technology. As we endeavor to maintain respect for the dignity of human life, I am convinced that our deliberations here will be an important reference point for the future of bioethics.

We here in Fukui are aiming at having a "Prefecture of Active, Healthy, Long-living People," as we develop strategies to deal with the trends of fewer children and more elderly, along with an increasing variety of illnesses. It is within this context that we here in Fukui look forward to tomorrow's WHO-supported satellite symposium on the theme of "Genetic Services and Ethics". We expect that our deliberations here will play an important role in establishing the direction of medical science into the 21st Century and help build a bright future for all humanity.

In closing, I want to wish you all the very best of health and that you will go away from this symposium having accomplished great things. I wish all of you here this evening the very best in you future work. Thank you.

F4. Welcome Address

 Tetsuo Sakai

Mayor of Fukui City, Japan

Read by Shichi Hasegawa of the Health Department.

I am Shoichi Hasegawa, the assistant director of the Fukui City Health Department, and I will be giving the greetings in the place of the mayor.

Today, as the UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference begins with so many of you from around the world, it is with great pleasure that I, as a representative of the city of Fukui, welcome you.

This conference is based in the "Human Genome Project", which is endeavoring to identify the entire human genome, and it is the 6th such conference to be held in Fukui. I understand that there are approximately 100,000 genes in the human genome and that more than 10,000 have been at least partially deciphered.

In the city of Fukui, we were able to give screening tests for stomach cancer and other forms of cancer to about 20,000 during fiscal 1996. Certainly, the deciphering of genetic and other related information will be an indispensable part of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases. You are also now involved in debate and discussion concerning human dignity, and so we citizens expectantly awaiting the results of your deliberations hoping that they will be presented in easily understandable terms.

While you are in our city, we hope that you will be able to enjoy the unique atmosphere of this area. As a main stop on the Hokuriku Way, the city of Fukui is a city of historical importance, and it is known for it distinct climatic seasons. Likewise, the ruins of Ichijouya Asakura, the Eheiji Temple of Zen Buddhism, the Youkoukan Gardens, where the villa of a feudal lord was located, and other such cultural treasures are awaiting your visit.

In closing, I wish to pay my deepest respects to Dr. Sudo, the president of the Fukui Medical University and others who were involved in setting up this conference, and I offer my words of congratulations in the hope that this conference will be a great success.

F5. Welcome and Explanatory Speech

 Masaru Kuriyama.

Program Committee Chairman, Dept. Internal of Medicine, Fukui Medical University, Fukui

Welcome, all participants, to our Fukui Symposium. Before starting this one day symposium in Fukui, I as a chairman of Program Committee in Fukui Medical University, would like to explain to you briefly the history of our International Bioethics Seminar in Fukui and the UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference (ABC) in Kobe, and just how we planned this symposium. UNESCO ABC '97 follows up the International Bioethics Seminar in Fukui held in 1987. At this first meeting we welcomed Prof. Jean Bernard, former President of the French National Academy of Science who gave a plenary lecture on Activities of National Bioethics Committee,. At the time the symposium was little known in Japan, but it was followed by conferences in 1990, 1992, 1993, and in 1995 a joint conference with UNESCO IBC and MURS Japan.

We have discussed ethical, legal and social problems raised by the rapid progress of human genome research, in order to make what we might call a hybridoma between science, technology and humanity. We have also decided to continue cross cultural discussion on bioethics, and to strengthen friendship between biologists, physicians and bioethiologists, philosophers, lawyers, educators, economists and administrators as well as the general public world-wide, with special focus in this Asian Continent.

Almost 400 Japanese and 50 foreign panelists have joined in our ABC'97 in Kobe from Nov 4-7, leading to its great success. Taking this excellent opportunity, we have planned to continue discussion on the control of hereditary diseases, which has hitherto been discussed by the WHO Scientific Group in Geneva since 1993 and was published in TRS 865 in 1996. This will take place at this WHO-assisted Satellite Symposium on Medical Genetics Science and Bioethics, under the kind support of WHO, UNESCO and the Japanese Society of Human Genetics, at the International Convention Hall, which opens here in Fukui, today Nov.8, 1997.

After heated discussion at ABC'97 during the last 4 days in Kobe, I hope many of you enjoyed the bus tour to Fukui and appreciated the traditional beauty and spirit of Japanese Handmade Paper and the Eiheiji Zen Experiences.

Now, we will start our whole day of discussion. First of all after this opening session, Dr. Boulyjenkov, Head of the Human Genetics Program of WHO, will give a plenary lecture on the Human Genetics Project of WHO, to be followed by Dr. Wertz, Head of Social Science, Shriver Center, who will talk on the WHO Guidelines. After a short coffee break, we will proceed to the first panel discussion on Recent Trends in Medical Genetic Services in each country by 7 panelists and the 2nd panel discussion on International Consensus Survey by 4 panelists, chaired by Dr. Boulyjenkov and Dr. Fujiki, respectively. After lunch, discussion continues by Japanese and Foreign Commentators will continue for three hours, after reading out of TRS 865 (1993) and the Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Medical Genetics and the Provision of Genetics Science 1995, translated into Japanese in 1997, which will act as reference sources for this Symposium. Probably, you have already received and read them carefully. After receiving any suggestions, we are planning to publish the proceedings for further education of the general public by the end of May 1998.

I hope you will enjoy this meeting and the farewell party afterwards until 18:00 and will go back to your countries bearing with you the tremendously fruitful results of this meeting. Thank you for your attention.

Please send comments to Email < d.macer@unescobkk.org >.

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