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A comparative analysis of Japanese and Western NDEs.

Masayuki Ohkado, Bruce Greyson

Journal of Near-Death Studies 2014 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-2014-32-4-p187-198. (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Comparative review Peer reviewed
Population Japanese and Western near-death experiencers
Topics Near-death experience
Keywords Heaven Interpretation philosophy Japanese culture Epistemology Japanese studies Linguistics Archaeology
Citations 8
Key findings Japanese NDEs differ from Western NDEs in the interpretation of light, image of heaven, and absence of life review, attributable to cultural differences.

Abstract

Decades of studies on near-death experiences (NDEs) have reveals both cross-cultural and culture-specific features (Kellehear, 2009) and that it is important to determine which aspects are attributed to the physiological, biological, or psychological mechanisms shared by all humans and which aspects are of cultural origin. In this article, we examine Japanese NDEs and compare their features with generalizations based on observations of Western NDEs. The main differences between Japanese and Western NDEs are the interpretation of the light and the concomitant lack of interaction with it, the image of heaven, and the absence of the life review. We suggest that these characteristics are accounted for in terms of cultural differences.

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on near-death experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Distressing Near-Death Experiences 1992 Review
Attitude Change Following Near-Death Experiences Individuals who have had near-death experiences 1980 Review n = 21
Near-death experiences. 2004 Review
The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences 2009 Review
Near-death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors 2005 Review

Citations in the library

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