1.Prospectus for the establishment of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association
Nursing care relates to human life and death, and also affects a nurse’s way of living. Nurses must interact with those who receive nursing care, and efficient care in nursing cannot be accomplished without ethical reasoning.
However, it is extremely difficult to find a universally accepted solution to ethical dilemmas in nursing as every individual has a different cultural, religious, and educational background and has their own set of values. Such diversity has led to profound examination and discussions on ethics and ethical challenges. Given the changing environment, the evolution of science and information technology, and increasing operational constraints, these challenges will continue to arise in the future.
Against this background, we have established the Japan Nursing Ethics Association to systematically build knowledge of nursing ethics.
Nursing ethics are already being discussed in clinical settings. Further, ethics are being taught in educational settings and being examined in research settings. At various academic societies, there have been several presentations focusing on the ethical challenges of nursing. Notably, interest in nursing ethics has continued uninterrupted over time. However, a systematic study of the subject has not always been pursued. We have also begun to see the challenges of academic inquiry, including issues of research methodologies in nursing ethics. Now that the readiness to systematize the diverse knowledge of nursing ethics is in place based on the extant studies, we believe presenting the results of our scholarly exploration and deepening the advancement of nursing ethics by establishing an academic society are important.
Nursing ethics affects the quality of nursing care itself. Therefore, it is essential to accumulate knowledge of nursing ethics suited to Japanese culture to ensure the quality of nursing care. With an increase in our accumulated knowledge, nursing professionals will share common language and insight into nursing ethics. This involves clarifying our role in society as professionals who care for human beings and identifying how we can better fulfill that role. We believe this is the social mission of the nursing profession.
We hope that you understand the role and mission of this society and support us in establishing it.
February 13, 2008
Founder (in alphabetical order)
Kazumi Hoshi, Yumiko Katsuhara, Emiko Konishi, Toku Ishii, Shigeko Izumi, Yuka Ozasa, Sanae Takata, Keiko Tamura, Akiko Williamson
2.Message from the Chairperson
As the spread of the new coronavirus: COVID-19 continues, I offer my deepest condolences to those who have lost their lives and my heartfelt sympathy to those who are recovering and their families. I am also concerned about the hardships that our members are experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 28, the Japan Nursing Ethics Association held its FY2020 General Assembly online. The chairperson was appointed through the approval or proxy of 442 members and the dissolution of the voluntary organization and transfer to the General Incorporated Association were approved. The following day, on June 29, we started anew as the “General Incorporated Association of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association.”
This association was originally established in June 2008 as a voluntary organization to systematize the knowledge of nursing ethics, promote exchange and support among clinical practitioners, researchers, and educators involved in nursing ethics, as well as making recommendations regarding nursing ethics. This year marks 13 years with 937 members participating in this association. The 13th Annual Meeting involved a journal presentation of abstracts instead of a regular assembly because of the spread of COVID-19. Nevertheless, 69 abstracts were presented.
The Policy Advocacy Committee launched in 2018 and renamed the Task Force, which presented the statement “In Honor of Health Care Workers Fighting the New Coronavirus” in April 2020. The statement received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community, with a feature in the press as well as two mass-media interviews. In May 2020, we conducted an emergency survey of our members via email and reported the results on our website. We were moved by the distress and struggles of nursing professionals confronting the COVID-19 pandemic and the many challenges presented, thus, we initiated a study on how to deal with issues in nursing ethics during emergencies.
Once again, I express my deepest gratitude to all of our members for their sincere participation and cooperation over the past 13 years of our activities. Taking the opportunity of incorporation as an opportunity to further develop nursing ethics and to fulfill our social responsibility as an association, we look forward to continuing discussions on various issues of nursing ethics with our members.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your continued support and cooperation.
July 2020
Chairperson of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association
Rika Yatsushiro
3.History
| June 15, 2008 | The establishment of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association was approved at the General Assembly for the establishment (Chairperson: Sanae Takata, 12 directors and auditors, 63 councilors) |
|---|---|
| ditto | First Annual Conference Held at Hyogo Nursing Association Harmony Hall in Kobe Theme: “Tapestry of Nursing Ethics–Opening the Possibilities of Nursing Ethics” # Annual conferences have been held annually since then. |
| November 10, 2008 | Published the first volume of the Journal of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association # The Journal of the Japanese Society of Nursing Ethics was published annually thereafter (for details, see “Journal of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association”). |
| June 8, 2019 | Council and General Assembly approved the beginning of preparations to incorporate the Society |
| December 2019 – February 2020 | Presentation to members of the proposed articles of incorporation and rules and regulations for incorporation and solicitation of comments. Disclosure of responses to comments received and implementation of necessary revisions. |
| April 1, 2020 | Registration of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association as a general incorporated association in preparation for transition from a voluntary association to a general incorporated association (however, the activities of the voluntary association to continue until the transition is approved at the general meeting) |
| June 28, 2020 | General Assembly approves transition to a general incorporated association. |
| June 29, 2020 | Transition to the Japan Nursing Ethics Association as a General Incorporated Association. Dissolution of the voluntary organization |
4.Board of Directors (June 2021–June 2023)
| Role/position | Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| President | Rika Yatsushiro | School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University |
| Vice President & Public Relations Committee | Katsumasa Ota | Tohto University, Faculty of Human Care at Numazu |
| Treasurer & Editorial Committee | Toshitaka Adachi | Kameda University of Health Sciences |
| Chair, Editorial Committee | Mari Tsuruwaka | Bioethics/Nursing Ethics, Graduate School of Nursing Sciences, St. Luke’s International University |
| Chair, Task Force Committee | Miki Ono | Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences |
| Chair, Committee for Clinical Ethics Guidelines | Michio Miyasaka | Niigata University, Graduate School of Health Sciences |
| Chair, Committee for Research and Promotion of Science | Kiyomi Asahara | St. Luke’s International University |
| Vice Chair, Committee for Research and Promotion of Science | Akiko Williamson | Kobe University Hospital |
| Chair, Public Relations Committee | Jukai Maeda | Tokyo Ariake University of Medical and Health Sciences |
| General Affairs | Saori Yamaguchi | School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University |
| Auditor | Hifumi Aoyama | Senri Kinran University |
| Auditor | Emiko Konishi | Kagoshima University |