Advances in the life sciences and medicine have tremendous social consequences in today’s global society.  These advances demand that the international community effectively address the numerous ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of developments in various fields such as cloning, regenerative medicine (using embryonic stem (ES) and iPS cells), neuroscience, and end-of-life and reproductive medicine. 

   To tackle these issues from Japan, two pressing tasks remain: (1) the establishment of an international research center that will serve as a think tank for considering the ethical implications of biomedical science and technology, and (2) the cultivation of human resources capable of responding to ethical issues that arise in medical practice―professionals to serve on ethics committees to conduct appropriate reviews of biomedical research. 

   Biomedical ethics is an academic field that tackles the ethical, legal, and social problems raised by the life sciences and medicine from an interdisciplinary perspective.  Until now, the field of biomedical ethics in Japan has not sufficiently addressed these problems.  In addition, the field has yet to produce the next generation of trained professionals capable of handling these problems. 

   In light of this paucity of trained professionals, we established The University of Tokyo Center for Biomedical Ethics and Law (UT-CBEL) ― a new interdisciplinary and international education research center aimed to address bioethical issues relevant to Japan and the international community. Our center will form an international network by establishing partnerships with research centers overseas (GABEX: Global Alliance of Biomedical Ethics Centers Project). Through these efforts, we will foster the next generation of bioethics experts in policy-making, research, and clinical medicine who are capable of providing international leadership in the future. http://www.cbel.jp/en/