Since 2002, the Faculty of Letters and the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology have established the “Death and Life Studies” project under the 21st Century COE and Global COE programs, as well as the “Practical Ethics Education Program,” which is open to the entire University of Tokyo. In 2011, before the conclusion of the COE programs, the two were merged to create the “Center for Death and Life Studies and Practical Ethics” as their successor organization. The Center, together with the endowed Uehiro Division for Death and Life Studies and Practical Ethics, aims to build future philosophical knowledge by exploring life, death, and ethical issues in clinical settings, such as medical and nursing facilities, making use of the expertise in the fields of humanities such as philosophy, history, and culture.
