On December 16, 2025, Japanese Conservative Party House of Councillors member Haruo Kitamura conducts questioning at the House of Councillors Judicial Affairs Committee.
(Screenshot from the Japanese House of Councillors online livestream)
[People News] Japan’s National Diet focused on China’s human rights issues on Tuesday (December 16). During questioning at the House of Councillors Judicial Affairs Committee, Japanese Conservative Party senator Haruo Kitamura stated that the Chinese Communist Party is suspected of large-scale live organ harvesting from detained individuals. He urged the government to initiate legislation to curb Japanese citizens’ participation in so-called “transplant tourism” at an institutional level, in order to prevent them from unknowingly becoming involved in serious human rights violations.
Allegations of Live Organ Harvesting Revisited
According to Epoch Times reporter Wang Junyi, Kitamura pointed out that patients in Japan and Western countries typically wait two to seven years for organ transplants such as livers and kidneys, whereas in China the waiting time is reportedly only “one to three weeks.” He said that such a “completely unnatural” supply speed could only be achieved through the large-scale detention of specific groups, the establishment of DNA databases, and the ability to dispatch living organ sources at any time.
He cited multiple international studies indicating that victim groups include Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Falun Gong practitioners, with the number of people involved possibly reaching the millions.
Kitamura also quoted public testimony given in 2023 by Chinese physician Zheng Zhiyu. The doctor described how in 1994 he was ordered to remove the kidney of a young soldier who was still conscious inside a modified vehicle and was also instructed to remove the person’s eyeballs. He further stated that he later learned from high-level CCP officials that the Wuhan public security system maintained secret underground facilities used to detain large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners, including minors.
Kitamura stated that these testimonies are highly consistent with conclusions from multiple international investigations, including human rights resolutions passed by the European Parliament, the final judgment of the UK-based independent tribunal “China Tribunal,” and years of U.S. congressional hearings, all of which have determined that there is credible evidence of “forced organ harvesting” in China.
He also mentioned that during Beijing’s military parade this September, foreign media reported private conversations between Chinese and Russian leaders that included phrases such as “organs can be repeatedly transplanted” and “people can live to 150 years,” raising concerns about whether longevity technologies pursued by the CCP leadership are connected to illegal organ supply chains.
Transplant Tourism Forms a Cross-Border Black Market; Japan Risks Becoming the “Consumer End”
Kitamura emphasized that China’s organ transplant industry has become highly commercialized and offers “transplant tourism” services to overseas patients. For Japanese citizens, traveling to China for transplants could mean unknowingly becoming the “consumer end” of atrocities.
He pointed out that illegally obtaining organs is essentially equivalent to murder, and that if similar acts occurred within Japan, they could be punishable by death or life imprisonment under Japanese law. Therefore, Japan must establish stricter legal regulations.
Regarding international ethical standards, Kitamura noted that the Declaration of Istanbul as early as 2008 and again in 2018 required governments to prevent their citizens from participating in transplant tourism. However, in Japan, current measures are limited to ethical guidance by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, such as producing educational videos and requiring medical institutions to observe ethical norms, without legally binding regulations.
In response, a senior official from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated that the government is working to strengthen the domestic transplant system. Kitamura criticized this approach as insufficient to convey the seriousness of the issue to the public. He noted that some Japanese patients who received transplants in China later learned of the dark realities behind the procedures and subsequently suffered severe psychological trauma, even expressing regret and saying that “if they had known beforehand, they would not have undergone the surgery.”
Should Legislation Be Introduced? Government Remains Cautious
Kitamura called on the government to promote clear legislation, including:
— Punishing those who organize or broker transplant tourism trips to China
— Including overseas transplant recipients within the scope of punishment unless they can prove that the donation was entirely voluntary
Kitamura also requested that the Immigration Services Agency place warning signs at airports stating “Overseas transplants may facilitate killing,” and advocated including foreigners who have participated in transplant tourism in re-entry screening criteria for denial of entry.
Criminal Affairs Bureau Director Atsushi Sato of the Ministry of Justice responded that Japan’s Organ Transplant Law already regulates organ trafficking and intermediary crimes, but that whether to add new criminal provisions to include overseas transplants within the scope of punishment requires “careful evaluation.”
The Immigration Services Agency also stated that under existing law, individuals who have been sentenced to more than one year in prison in another country for criminal offenses may be denied entry to Japan. However, whether “receiving an overseas transplant” itself could be treated as grounds for denial of entry would require further legal review.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare noted that there is no international law that comprehensively prohibits overseas transplants, and Japan does not prohibit citizens from traveling abroad for medical treatment. However, if the Diet considers revising the law, the administrative agencies would cooperate.
Rising Public Attention; Issue May Enter Legislative Process
As multiple government departments expressed willingness during the questioning to participate in follow-up discussions, issues such as regulating transplant tourism and adding punitive provisions may become a focus of the next Diet session. The Immigration Services Agency also stated that if cross-ministerial requests are made, it could evaluate the installation of airport warning signage.
Nevertheless, although the Japanese government has acknowledged the need to strengthen domestic transplant self-sufficiency and adhere to the spirit of the Declaration of Istanbul, the administrative authorities remain cautious about regulating transplant tourism through criminal penalties or comprehensively restricting overseas transplants.
In his concluding remarks, Kitamura stated that as a civilized nation, Japan has a responsibility to prevent its citizens from unknowingly becoming accomplices to or victims of atrocities. He emphasized that he will continue to push for legislation to institutionally sever any connection between Japan and illegal organ trafficking industry chains. △
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