Practices and Future Perspectives of Death Investigation in Forensic Autopsy in Yamaguchi Prefecture

Forensic pathologists perform autopsies and external examinations of deceased bodies to judge the cause of death. Forensic autopsies are only carried out in a small percentage of all deaths, and are performed for cases in which the cause of death is unknown and because many of these cases have background social problems. Therefore, both the cause and circumstances of death are important to those in related fields, and it is particularly significant to share information from forensic autopsies and to discuss prevention of recurrence in similar cases with persons involved in these fields. This report provides an overview of the forensic autopsies performed at our department in 2021. In the near future, we intend to share these cases through participation in workshops and conferences with related clinical departments, health and welfare workers, and medical scientists, so that this forensic autopsy information can be used effectively.