X-Message-Number: 20733
From: 
Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 12:05:21 EST
Subject: Japan

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A quick remark or two after the message from "shakehip."

There was a Japanese edition of Man into Superman, not of The Prospect of 
Immortality. PROSPECT has been published only in French, Italian, Dutch, and 
German, as well as several English language editions. It has now also been 
translated into Russian, and will soon be available in that language in one 
form or another.

In the guesswork area of which populations are or are not good candidates for 
cryonics, my guess is that Japan is less promising than the "religious" 
western countries. First, this is based on the actual experience--there has 
been considerable publicity in Japan, lots of Japanese TV crews here, but no 
members. On the theoretical side, I think culture or custom is more important 
than nominal religion. As Shakehip says, the Japanese (and Orientals 
generally?) tend to be fatalistic and consider it honorable or noble or wise 
to be indifferent to death. Many also believe in reincarnation. 

Nevertheless, Japan cannot be ignored, and CI will continue to try to develop 
practical ties there.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
www.cryonics.org


Message #20727
From: 
Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 05:45:31 EST
Subject:  #20723: Japanese funeral director interested in facilitating 
cryo-preservation 

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This has actually been an interest of mine... I am moving back to Japan.   
I've wanted to sign up with CI for years, but in all honesty, what use would 
it be if I were to die and kept in a refridgerator for 3 weeks in a Japanese 
morgue after an extensive autopsy...  I know that there are numerous 
individuals in Japan curious about cryonics... but "interest" is not enough.  

If active solutions were offered, I'd personally be happy to sign up and 
EVANGELICALLY spread the word.   The key issue is law related to Japan, the 
US, not to mention to mention the practicalities related to a 12+ hour 
trans-pacific flight.

Prof. Ettinger was kind enough to send me a Japanese translation of his book 
a few years ago which I've shared with Japanese friends.  - - It is 
interesting... while Americans tend to object to cryonics on deeply rooted 
religious and cultural biases, I notice the Japanese will find it 
interesting, though overall fatalistic in their attitudes regarding death's 
inevitability... fortunately, a bit of imagination can easily overcome a 
person's fatalistic tendencies (in the face of practical solutions), whereas 
the religious and cultural baises that many American's have would be 
significantly less reversible.

*If* a practical cryonics org. was established in Japan with a feasible game 
plan geared towards the actual practical and legal realization of contracts 
and arrangements for cryo-preservation, preferably with an already 
established cryonics group in the US, I would be the first to join.   An 
undertaker would be the ideal person to get such a ball rolling, if he or she 

is actively working in that field and already familiar with the Japanese 
legal system...   

Ed



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