Unaware of Gender Swap in Japan, Makeup Applied... Hospital Mistakenly Dissects Patient's Body

Mistake at Crematorium in Saitama Funeral Hall
Cremation of Female Body in Presence of Male Bereaved Family
Personal Belongings Seem Strange, Revealed as Error
Patient's Body in Nagano Mistaken for Dissection Use

Promotional photo of Japanese funeral company 'Tia'
[Photo by Tia]

In Japan, a funeral home that cremated the bodies of a man and a woman without realizing they had been switched, and a hospital that mistakenly dissected a deceased patient in the emergency room thinking the body was for anatomical dissection, have become topics of public discussion.

According to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 14th, a funeral company in Japan called Tia (a Japanese-style spelling of the English word "tear," meaning tears) operating a funeral hall in Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, experienced an incident on the 9th where the bodies of a man and a woman were switched during the funeral process. The woman's body was cremated in the presence of the male bereaved family. While the family was sorting through the deceased's belongings, they found items unrelated to the deceased and requested confirmation from the funeral home, which eventually revealed the cremation error. The female bereaved family received the ashes without having the opportunity to attend the cremation, while the male bereaved family attended the cremation again and completed the funeral together. The company apologized to both families. Koshigaya City, which manages the crematorium, is currently inquiring with the company about the circumstances that led to the mistake.

Promotional photo of Japanese funeral company 'Tia'
[Photo by Tia]

At Matsumoto Municipal Hospital in Nagano Prefecture, an incident occurred where a patient who died after being brought to the emergency room was mistakenly dissected, believing the body was for anatomical dissection. The patient was transported in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest, and after the doctor confirmed death, the body was placed in the pathology dissection room. Normally, bodies are placed in the mortuary, but it was temporarily kept in an anteroom until the family came to claim it. Later, the attending physicians of the deceased inpatient entered the anteroom of the autopsy room, believing the body was for pathological dissection, and began the dissection. Upon opening the chest and abdomen, they discovered no surgical scars from life and realized the mistake. The inpatient originally scheduled for pathological dissection was reportedly still in a hospital room within the hospital.

The hospital held an online press conference on the 9th, stating, "We sincerely apologize for causing great distress to the bereaved family by injuring the body." They also said, "We will raise awareness of medical safety and take measures to prevent recurrence." It is reported that the hospital and the bereaved family have reached an agreement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.