End-of-life care refers to a type of healthcare provided to patients who are in the final stage of life and is also provided to patients suffering from terminal illnesses that is not more treatable. In Japan, end-of-life care is a government program due to the high rate of elderly people. According to statistics conducted by the University of Denver, 25.2% of the Japanese population are elderly. This means that there are low birth rates in the country. So, there are regulations regarding end-of-life care in Japan. First, when a Japanese person is suffering from a terminal illness or is close to death, the term shikata ga nai is used. The phrase means that a person can no longer be helped to cure his illness or other illnesses. Terminal patients are not helped to recover because the chances of survival are slim to none and the family will just have to wait for the patient to die because there is nothing they can do to prolong their life. Furthermore, extending the life of a nearly dead patient by using machines such as a life support device would not help the patient as it prolongs his suffering from the disease. Another norm in end-of-life care in Japan is how the Japanese view the concept of death. In Japanese culture, death is considered impure due to their religion, which is Shinto. Shinto is a belief that emphasizes cleanliness and purity. Since death is inevitable, this contradicts their belief that Shinto is about purity. On the contrary, the Japanese also consider death as a natural event; therefore a person's life could not be stopped or prolonged. It is said that Japanese are born Shinto but die Buddhist. Death in Buddhism means that one has achieved enlightenment... middle of paper... as one does to provide for the needs of a dying patient. It connects to research in that end-of-life care is about how nurses and other medical staff care for their patients who are near the end of their lives. This shows how important a role nurses and healthcare workers play in making sure their patients are in a dignified situation before they die. The last quote focuses on how the relationship between the patient and the caregiver is created. “You really are a great caregiver. You would be perfect for me too if I weren't you." (Ishiguro, 282) Since end-of-life care involves terminally ill patients, it is necessary to build a relationship between the patient and his or her caregiver. If a relationship is built, the patient he will feel safe and protected with the caregiver. And as for the caregiver, he has gained the trust of his patient, thus facilitating the end-of-life care process.