Regulation of assisted reproductive technology: a case study of Japan.

Most studies on the ethics and provision of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have taken place in the context of the Judaeo-Christian culture of western developed countries. This study looks at ART, its provision and control, in an eastern developed country with a completely different cultural background; Japan. A necessarily brief description of the cultural context of religious belief, the family and reproduction in Japan is followed by a description of the development of ART in Japan together with an analysis of its provision and control.