Press "Enter" to skip to content

Ex-Kabukicho clinic chief charged after patient dies during sex-change operation

A 21-year-old woman died during a breast-reduction procedure in 2012
A 21-year-old woman died during a breast-reduction procedure in 2012
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced on Thursday that the former female director of a clinic in Shinjuku Ward who committed suicide last year has been charged with medical malpractice after a patient died during a sex-change operation, reports the Sankei Shimbun (May 1).

On May 30, 2012, a 21-year-old woman from Yokohama underwent breast-reduction surgery as a part of a sex-change procedure at the Minatogawa Clinic in the Kabukicho entertainment district. During the operation, which was conducted by the director, a monitoring error resulted in a failure to observe a deterioration in the patient’s condition. The patient was later transported to a nearby hospital where she died of respiratory failure.

In January, police sent the case to prosecutors citing medical malpractice on the part of the ex-director. According to investigators, the former director had insufficient experience to carry out such a surgical procedure.

The health department of Shinjuku Ward inspected the Minatogawa Clinic in July of 2012 and found conditions to be unsanitary. The clinic closed four months later.

The ex-director, who had also undergone a sex-change operation, committed suicide at her parents home in Okayama Prefecture last December. She was 37 years old.