Anti-Cloning Law Passed In Japan

Japan's parliament on Thursday enacted legislation that makes the cloning of humans a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a fine of $90,000.

The law, which prohibits creating human embryos by inserting somatic cells into an unfertilized egg, is the first in Japan that penalizes a specific kind of research, said a Parliament spokesman.

The bill forbids what it says is an act that "could have a serious impact on human dignity, the biological safety of the human body and maintenance of order in society."

The legislation, which also calls on the government to draft regulations governing cloning technology, passed the upper house by a vote of 229-11. It passed the more powerful lower house earlier in November.

The spokesman said the law also bans mixing human and animal cells to create hybrid embryos and forbids implanting hybrid embryos into human or animal mothers.

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