Tokyo police are investigating the director of a clinic in Osaka after allegations he issued referral documents for patients to receive kidney transplants in Cambodia while accepting payments from an organ trafficking broker network.
On 10 July 2026, the Yomiuri newspaper website reported that Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating the director of an Osaka clinic suspected of issuing referral letters for patients to undergo kidney transplants in Cambodia. He allegedly received payments from a broker network involved in organ procurement, whose three members were arrested for violating Japan's organ transplant laws.
Investigations revealed that a man over 70 years old paid 12.36 million yen (about 2.7 million baht) for a kidney transplant from a living donor in Cambodia. Before traveling, the patient underwent blood testing at the Osaka clinic, after which the doctor issued an English referral letter to a Cambodian surgeon via the broker network and received payment for arranging the procedure.
Police also found that at least five Japanese patients traveled to Cambodia for kidney transplants through this network between March 2025 and January 2026. Upon returning to Japan, some patients faced difficulties accessing follow-up care at hospitals, and some experienced temporary health deterioration. Authorities have forwarded the suspects' case files and related organizations to prosecutors. The clinic director remains under investigation and may face charges for violating Japan's organ transplant law.
Meanwhile, Wang Wenbin, the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, denied reports claiming that Chinese doctors performed kidney transplant surgeries at Preah Ket Mealea Hospital in Cambodia.
In a social media post on Friday, 10 July, Wang stated that the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia had verified the facts with Preah Ket Mealea Hospital.
He confirmed, “The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia has checked with Preah Ket Mealea Hospital and received confirmation that no Chinese doctors have ever been involved in kidney transplant surgeries at this hospital.”
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