Hello all, I ha have a question about how Japanese culture works around helping someone in a medical emergency.
For some background, I was once on a train in Japan, it was later in the afternoon/early evening so there were only about 20 people or so on the train. Across from me sat a family; there was an elderly man and woman, their child and partner, and a grandchild (probably early 20s). Between stations, the elderly man started having either a stroke or heart attack based on the symptoms. I have some medical training but was at a loss because I had hardly any japanese and the family was panicking. Another foreigner who I gathered was a nurse tried to help but could only speak english and couldn’t get the family calm enough to be able to help. The grand-daughter ran to the in-car phone and told the driver about the emergency, at the next stop the grandfather was walked off and waited on the platform for help to arrive.
I was frustrated with myself because despite having medical provider training I wasn’t able to help and, whichever the man was experiencing time was important for his survival. On reflecting about it and looking up what I could do to try and learn Japanese for emergencies, I recalled that only myself and the other foreigner made a move to help. Everyone else on the train stayed sat firmly in their seat.
With how much I have seen of the Japanese helping each other through disasters I was kind of baffled. In talking with a friend we brought up that, in the US at least, you’re taught you have to receive permission unless the victim is alone and unresponsive otherwise you’re at risk of retaliation in the courts if something goes wrong.
So I kind of wondered if it was just that those people couldn’t move (which can happen) or if there was a larger cultural/legal consideration for when you should or shouldn’t help.
Is there something that would prevent a Japanese person from providing assistance? Should a foreigner, if they can communicate, provide assistance? How would it work?
by wondering-narwhal
