脳死

• Reading: のうし
• Romaji: noushi
• Kanji breakdown: 脳 (nou) — brain; 死 (shi) — death
• Pronunciation: /noː.ɕi/

Meaning

Brain death. The irreversible cessation of all brain function, including the brainstem, used as a legal criterion for death in organ transplantation.

A medical and legal term that has been central to bioethical debate in Japan since the Organ Transplant Law of 1997. Unlike 植物状態 (vegetative state), where some brain function remains, 脳死 implies total cessation of all brain activity. The 脳死判定 (determination of brain death) involves strict multi-step clinical protocols.

Examples

1. 臓器移植のドナーとなるには、脳死の判定が法的に必要とされる。 To become an organ transplant donor, a legal determination of brain death is required.
2. 脳死と植物状態は医学的に明確に区別されなければならない。 Brain death and a vegetative state must be clearly distinguished in medical terms.
3. 事故後に脳死と診断された息子の臓器提供を、両親は苦悩の末に決断した。 After agonizing deliberation, the parents decided to donate the organs of their son, who had been declared brain dead following the accident.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, organ transplant, ethics, law, critical care

Tone: clinical, serious

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound: 脳 (nou) means brain, and 死 (shi) means death. The term became prominent in Japanese public discourse in the 1980s and 1990s as organ transplantation medicine advanced and bioethical debates intensified.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: Universal