On Nov. 30, 2019, a group of nine scholars and experts in medicine, law and bioethics from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Canada convened in University of Tokyo for the Asia Symposium on “Combating Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism.” The participating experts unraveled their discussion of the theme from the basis that last year saw the eleventh anniversary of the original Declaration of Istanbul (2008). The Symposium was organized jointly by Japan’s Transplant Tourism Research Association (TTRA) and SMG Network, Taiwan Association for International Care of Organ Transplants (TAICOT), as well as Korea Association for Ethical Organ Transplants (KAEOT), Korean Bar Association, and SSK (Social Science Korea) Human Rights Forum.

The speakers of this Asia Symposium each shared their research and thoughts about the status of implementation after amending the relevant law, the key points of advocating for amendment, or urging their parliament to legislate or amend laws to prevent their patients from buying illegally sourced organs for transplantation in China. The organizers have compiled all the articles of the Symposium and now present them in the e-book form for public review. We welcome your comments, and with this collection, we hope to truly reveal the truth about the gravest crime against humanity of this century.