Design: This descriptive survey used a structured questionnaire developed by the research team to identify the following: 1) issues in nursing ethics education (9 items), and 2) ethical clinical problems categorized in the areas of nursing staff, practice , profession, and coworkers (26 items) using a 5 point Likert scale to score the severity of the problems.

Data collection: The questionnaire set was sent to deans and representatives from all nursing colleges in Japan and Korea, inviting them to participate in the survey. The data were collected within 2 weeks after the initial mailing (Japan n=57(31.7%), Korea n=52(45.6%)).

Results: In Japan, 87.7% answered that nursing ethics was taught and 80.7% noted the need for training of ethics educators. In Korea 98.08% had a course on nursing ethics, but only 38.46% noted the need for training. The severity of ethical issues for nurses follows: In Japan, accepting responsibility for nursing care was the highest priority while equitable social and economic working conditions in nursing was the lowest. In Korea, confidentiality was the highest priority and the care of aging and chronically ill patients was the lowest. On the main nursing ethical problems, Japan identified a deficiency in nursing ethics education through the lack of nursing ethics educators. In contrast Korean respondents noted nurses' leadership in the physician-nurse relationship as first priority. The common main nursing ethical problem between the two countries was the lack of quality nursing ethics education. This study provides insights on the state of nursing ethics education in Asia the unique as well as common issues each country encounters. Findings suggest the need for partnerships in Asian nursing ethics.