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
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jukai Maeda, and I have been appointed as President of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association for the third term of incorporation. I look forward to working with you.
The purpose of this Society is “to systematize the knowledge of nursing ethics, promote exchange among practitioners, researchers, and educators interested in nursing ethics, and to make recommendations concerning nursing ethics” (Article 3 of the Articles of Incorporation). In other words, the Society aims to generate and accumulate knowledge regarding nursing ethics through the cooperation of practitioners, researchers, and educators. This knowledge is then put into practice, verified, taught, and later returned to society. I believe that JNEA plays a role in connecting practitioners, researchers, educators, and society through the weft of knowledge of nursing ethics.
There are various ways to generate knowledge; however, in nursing, which can be considered the science of practice, we use an inductive process to generate hypotheses based on cases experienced in clinical and educational practice. We also use a deductive process to apply these hypotheses to increase their accuracy. While both these processes are essential. it is challenging to systematize the knowledge of nursing ethics without the commitment of those practicing in clinical and educational settings.
Therefore, one of the central pillars of the third phase of the corporation is to make it easier for those involved in nursing practice to create knowledge about nursing ethics. For example, we will establish case and practice reports as independent articles in the Journal of Japanese Nursing Ethics in order to share our practical experiences. We will also establish a research grant system to obtain necessary funding and advice for research. Additionally, we will establish an Institutional Review Board (IRB) for members of organizations that do not have one to undergo a research ethics review. The Board of Directors is currently discussing the establishment of an IRB to enable members of organizations that do not currently have an IRB to undergo research ethics review, and the creation a database of abstracts from the annual conference.
Furthermore, training sessions will be conducted in person for the first time in three years as part of our social contribution activities. This will contribute to the realization of the objectives of the Association and the annual meeting in terms of interaction among participants, as well as the dissemination of knowledge. Moreover, a newly established committee is currently discussing a project that will serve as the Association’s new axis. We will introduce them here as soon as we are ready to report on them.
This marks the 16th year since the Japan Nursing Ethics Association was founded in 2008. During that time, we have grown as an academic organization thanks to the support of our members and related organizations, and now have more than 800 members. However, considering that nursing ethics is a discipline that contributes to the entire nursing community, there remains room for growth. To achieve this, it is necessary for those who agree with the purpose of the Society to cooperate with us, join the Society, and further expand the circle of nursing ethics.
The Association will continue to support the development of nursing ethics as an academic discipline, provide a forum for members to exchange opinions and ideas, and make recommendations to society from the standpoint of an academic organization specializing in nursing ethics. We look forward to your cooperation.
July 2023
Chairperson of the Japan Nursing Ethics Association
Jukai Maeda
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 |