ABSTRACT
In Japan, since the revision of the Organ Transplant Law in July 2010, donation after brain death (DBD) has increased, while donation after cardiac death (DCD), which has been mainly used by kidney transplantation, has decreased. The number of DCD donors decreased from 98 in 2009 to 28 in 2019. There is no clear reason for the decrease in DCD donors. Furthermore, since 2020, there has been a marked decrease in DCD due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the outcomes after kidney transplantation from DCD donors are improving year by year. The outcomes of kidney transplantation from DCD donors in Japan are comparable to those of kidney transplantation from DBD donors in Western countries. In order to further improve transplantation outcomes from DCD donors, the clinical introduction of continuous machine perfusion preservation technology, for the purpose of reducing ischemic reperfusion injury, is expected in Japan.