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54 U.N.B.L.J. 62 (2005)
Regulation of Human Stem Cell Research in Japan and Canada: A Comparative Analysis

handle is hein.journals/unblj54 and id is 68 raw text is: REGULATION OF HUMAN STEM CELL RESEARCH IN JAPAN AND CANADA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS Nola M. Ries* Introduction Stem cell research, particularly research involving stem cells derived from human embryos, continues to generate worldwide controversy and debate. Various events throughout 2004 underscored the contentious nature of such research. For example, in February 2004, South Korean researchers announced they had successfully used a cloned human embryo to create stem cells.1 In August, Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority granted that country's first license to create human embryonic stem cells through a cloning technique.2 Stem cell research figured promi- nently in the 2004 United States presidential election. Voters in the State of California broke new ground by supporting the allocation of $3 billion in public funding to stem cell research.3 In October, Harvard University researchers sought ethics approval to produce cloned embryos for stem cell research.4 In November, a United Nations legal committee finally abandoned efforts to pass a comprehensive ban against both reproductive and research cloning in favour of a declaration only against cloning for reproduction.5 * Research Associate, Health Law Institute, University of Alberta. In December 2003, 1 traveled to Japan to gather information regarding stem cell research and regulation in that country and would like to acknowledge generous research funding support from the Stem Cell Network. Thanks to Professor Timothy Caulfield for his comments on a draft of this paper. Special thanks to Professor Masahiro Ken Kuwahara, Professor Tomoko Terasawa and Dr. Shin-Ichi Nishikawa who graciously met with me dur- ing my December 2003 visit to Japan. I See Woo Suk Hwang et al., Evidence of a Pluripotent Human Embryonic Stem Cell Line Derived from a Cloned Blastocyst, published online February 12, 2004, Science <http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1094515>. 2 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Press Release, HFEA grants the first therapeutic cloning licence for research (11 August 2004). 3 Jonathan Knight, Joys match fears as California agrees to stem-cell proposal (2004) 432 Nature 135. 4 G. Cook, Harvard Team Wants OK to Clone: Human Cell Work Would be First in Nation Boston Globe ( 13 October 2004) A 1. 5 Susan Mayor, UN delays decision on human cloning (2004) 329 British Medical Journal 1258.

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