The following Declaration was made at the 1st International Conference of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies held in Tokyo, Japan in 1976.
In recent years, we have become aware of the increasing concern to the individual over his right to die with dignity, or euthanasia. We believe in the rights and freedom of all men. This brings us of affirm this right to die with dignity, which means in peace and without suffering.
Death is unavoidable. But we believe that the manner (and time) of dying should be left to the decision of the individual, assuming such demands do not result in harm to society other than the sadness associated with death.
The Declaration of a person’s wishes, or the “Living Will”, should be respected by all concerned as an expression of intrinsic human rights. Therefore, at least for the present, we request that this Declaration, or the “Living Will”, be made legally effective, and pursuant to this, efforts toward its legalization should be made.
Through the Tokyo International Conference on Euthanasia, or Death with Dignity, the national movements of each country can achieve international cooperation, as well as solidarity. Let us promise ourselves to strive to achieve the above objectives, through the establishment of a liaison center whose purpose will be an exchange of information, as well as the convening of periodically held international conferences.
