China organ recipient died last year

Written by Writer on Thursday, November 13th, 2008

China organ recipient died last year

Police have discovered that a 64-year-old man who had an organ transplant operation brokered by the China International Organ Transplant Center in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, died in February 2007, sources said Wednesday.

The police suspect the activities of the transplant center, headed by Hiroyuki Nagase, 52, violated the Organ Transplant Law, which prohibits brokering organs for profit.

The police, who Wednesday questioned Nagase on a voluntary basis on suspicion of violating the law, are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the operation on the 64-year-old man, a company president in Yokohama.

According to investigation sources, the man had asked the transplant center to broker a liver transplant for him through the center’s Web site, and had the operation in China around October 2006.

However, he fell ill after returning to Japan and was hospitalized. He died of multiple organ failure in February 2007.

The Kanagawa prefectural police asked his family members about his death in May. As they said they did not know details of the organ transplant at that time, the police could not establish if there was any connection between the transplant and his death.

The police are expected to follow up on the condition of other patients who had organ transplants brokered by the center.

The prefectural police questioned Nagase by cell phone Wednesday morning and tried to arrange an appropriate time for in-person questioning.

According to a senior prefectural police officer, Nagase said he “would not run and hide.” However, he also told the police they would not be able to find any evidence as the Chinese public security authorities had seized everything, the senior officer said.
(Nov. 13, 2008)