Associating Gene Therapy with the Human Genome Project

As is often the case with cutting-edge biomedical technology, the introduction of gene therapy in Japan provoked discussions of ethics and safety while offering little hope for dramatic recovery. Nevertheless, only 5 years after the first authorized clinical trial in the USA, the first Japanese trial was conducted in 1995. This trial event garnered extensive media coverage but yielded little opposition. To understand the public reaction, a range of sources were examined, including news media and popular scientific magazines. In the case of Japan, public acceptance did not mean enlightened consent; rather, it meant that interactions among researchers, the media, and the populace brought about a new interpretation of the technology.