The passage of revised organ transplant legislation Monday may be a big step forward in saving sick children in need of organs, but experts say it will still take time for the ranks of domestic donors to increase.

One big reason is that doctors are either reluctant to harvest organs or lack the knowledge on how to tell families of donor candidates about the options, said Shunichi Yoshikai, a neurosurgeon at Shin Kokura Hospital in Fukuoka Prefecture.

"Many doctors in Japan are reluctant to even learn about organ donations," Yoshikai said. "One of the young doctors even said he thought organs can be donated only when a patient is brain dead."