Korean Woman Dies After Stem-Cell Therapy in Tokyo Clinic Linked to Cross-Border Program
A Korean woman in her 60s died after receiving stem cell therapy at a Tokyo clinic linked to a cross-border program run by Korean and Japanese partners, the scientists and officials said. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) issued an emergency temporary suspension of regenerative medicine treatment at the Ginza Clinic, operated as a medical corporation called NeoPolis Ginza Clinic, under Japan’s safety framework for regenerative therapies.
The patient traveled from Korea to Japan on the 10th and was injected intravenously with 150 million stem cells derived from her own adipose tissue. She deteriorated during transport by ambulance, suffered cardiac arrest, and later died after being moved to a hospital. Authorities said the cause of death had not yet been confirmed, while an on-site investigation continues.
MHLW said the suspension, issued the day before the public notice, is based on the Reproductive Medicine Safety Law, part of Japan’s regenerative medicine oversight. The agency also announced on its website that the cells used in this treatment were produced at two facilities: the JASC Kyoto Stem Cell Culture Center in Kyoto and a Korean facility, AlbaBio in Seoul. The ministry ordered the Kyoto facility to halt production and asked that AlbaBio stop supplying cells to Japan.
NatureCell, the Korean group behind the overseas program, has issued statements acknowledging the incident but arguing that the cells themselves were not at fault. The company said the patient’s death may be the result of a fall and cervical injury, and that a postmortem and blood tests are ongoing to determine the exact cause. NatureCell’s leadership also described supporting the patient’s family and asserted that the stem cells used had passed quality checks in Korea and at the Kyoto facility.
In Seoul, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had previously signaled possible regulatory concerns about domestic aspects of NatureCell’s overseas stem cell program. A government briefing noted that if activities such as patient recruitment, cell collection, or referrals occurred within Korea in ways that contravene the Medical Act, the program could face legal breaches. The ministry stressed that even if therapy occurs abroad, domestically performed recruitment and related processes could fall under Korean law.
The case highlights how cross-border regenerative medicine operates in East Asia, with linked facilities in Seoul and Kyoto providing cells to Japanese clinics. It also follows a prior fatality at a Tokyo clinic last August, the first time the Japanese authorities used an emergency halt under the same framework. Regulators in Japan and Korea are now reassessing facility compliance, patient safety protocols, and the broader legality of overseas stem cell treatment programs run by Korean firms.
For U.S. readers, the developments matter because they illustrate the global reach and regulatory complexity of advanced therapies like stem cell treatments. Cross-border supply chains, investment in biotech companies with international operations, and patient access to experimental therapies can be affected by how countries regulate cell manufacturing, referral networks, and treatment oversight. The incident underscores the need for clear international standards and rigorous safety reviews in regenerative medicine, as well as scrutiny of how domestic policies apply to overseas clinical programs that market or administer such therapies.