Nursing ethics is not a part of medical ethics. It originated in the United States through an original, long discussion. In this paper, I first present a general view of the process of formation of nursing ethics from the United States, and explain how it became the model for Japan. Next, I present a theoretical framework of current nursing ethics. I argue that nursing ethics insists on an ethics of virtue that centers on caring, while making various ethical principles obligatory. Because various problems that a patient has can be understood better by the caring nurse. I suggest greater emphasis on caring in nursing ethics.