• Masanori Mori, Yuichiro Kuwama, Takamaru Ashikaga, Henrique A Parsons, and Mitsunori Miyashita.
• Palliative Care Team, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan. Electronic address: masanori.mori@sis.seirei.or.jp.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2018 Jan 1; 55 (1): 31-38.

ContextAcculturation is the phenomenon of the attitudinal changes of individuals who come into continuous contact with another culture. Despite the long history of Japanese immigration to America, little is known about the impact of acculturation on perceptions of a good death.ObjectivesTo examine differences in perceptions of a good cancer death among Japanese Americans (JA/A), Japanese living in America (J/A), and the Japanese living in Japan (J/J).MethodsWe administered surveys among JA/A and J/A and used historical J/J data for reference. Primary endpoint was the proportion of respondents who expressed the necessity of core and optional items of the Good Death Inventory. Group differences ≥20% were deemed clinically important.ResultsIn total, 441 survey responses in America and 2548 in Japan were obtained. More than 80% of respondents consistently considered nine of 10 core items necessary without significant group differences. No core item reached a ≥20% group difference. Three of the eight optional items reached ≥20% group difference: fighting against disease until one's last moment (49%, P < 0.0001; 52%, P < 0.0001; and 73% in JA/A, J/A, and J/J, respectively), knowing what to expect about one's condition in the future (83%, P < 0.0001; 80%, P < 0.0001; and 58%, respectively), and having faith (64%, P = 0.0548; 43%, P = 0.0127; and 38%, respectively).ConclusionAlthough most core items of a good death were preserved throughout the levels of acculturation, perceptions of some optional items shifted away from Japanese attitudes as individuals became more acculturated. Understanding of different levels of acculturation may help clinicians provide culturally sensitive end-of-life care.Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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