Present and aspects for cadaver surgical training in Japan

In overseas countries the cadaver surgical training (CST) has been very common as evaluation systems for new operative method and medical devices. However, in Japan basic autopsy training is indispensable for nurturing doctors at schools of medicine, while the clinical doctors have been using cadavers for the progress and technique, or the like, of a surgery with the scope of clinical autopsy. In the consequence, in 2013 the guideline "Autopsy for clinical medicine training and research" was put in effect over a series of discussions for the purpose of society acknowledgement of CST. The subsidized project "Training for the development of practical technique of a surgery" by the Ministry of Health and Labor has been offered publicly for private organizations and expected a nationwide expansion. I review the current situation of CST in Japan and introduce CST at Ehime University School of Medicine. This editorial is based on the background of CST in Japan and referred to the outlook for the future.