History

Last Update: March 27, 2023

History

Background to the Establishment of the Japanese Cancer Association

Scientific lecture meetings on cancer began with the 1st Scientific Convention held by the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research on April 2, 1908 at the time the foundation was established, and meetings were held every year thereafter (for details of activities during this period, please refer to “Chapter 1. The Early Years” in the “75-Year History of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research”).

In about 1935, the opinion was raised among members of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research and other researchers that “we think cancer research has advanced rapidly in recent years so we should establish an association absolutely unrelated to the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research that has a central presence in cancer research in Japan and takes the path of promoting further research based on the cooperation of scholars nationwide”. Seeing this state of affairs, Mataro Nagayo, President of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, made a proposal and the society investigated the new establishment of the Japanese Cancer Association at the 24th meeting of the Board of Directors held on March 15, 1940.

As a result of those deliberations, all members present unanimously resolved to establish a new association based on that proposal under the following outline.

(1) The association shall be known as The Japanese Cancer Association.
(2) We would like to establish the association from around next year.
(3) The Executive Office of the association will be located within the offices of the Foundation.
(4) The official journal “GANN (Cancer)” shall be published in cooperation with the society.
(5) We shall carefully investigate relationships with the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research and the Koraku-kai.
(6) A committee shall be organized including Directors from the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research and the committee shall establish the bylaws of the association.

President Nagayo spoke as follows in regard to this association in his speech at the opening of the 32nd Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research Scientific Convention at Tokyo Imperial University on April 3 of the same year.

“As you know, this society has held meetings for many years as the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research Scientific Convention, but in consideration of the developments of recent years, I believe that it is appropriate to newly establish the “Japanese Cancer Association” and hold meetings under that name. This has been approved at a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research so I report thus here. Even if the Japanese Cancer Association is newly established, the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research shall be its core and shall of course do its utmost towards the holding of meetings, the publication of the official journal and all other society matters as it has done erenow. A committee has been specially established to study the bylaws of the newly formed association, its relationship with the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research and other matters. The point is that we think that be doing this cancer research in this country will be pushed further ahead by the united cooperation of scholars nationwide. If a new association is established, the members of the Koraku-kai who are the patrons of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research shall be made members of the Japanese Cancer Association that is to be newly formed, but I hope that many more members will join when the association is established.

(From “GANN (Cancer)”)

The Inaugural Meeting of the Japanese Cancer Association

The 33rd Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research Scientific Convention and the 1st Japanese Cancer Society Scientific Lecture Meeting were held together at Osaka Imperial University on April 5, 1941. President Mataro Nagayo spoke as follows in his opening address.

Opening address given by President Mataro Nagayo “I hereby open this convention. In speaking at our general meeting last year, I said that considered from the standpoint of trends in cancer and tumor research in our country, it would be good to establish a Japanese Cancer Association to cooperate with the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research to force greater development in the future. Since then, as a result of various studies, it was decided to hold the 1st Japanese Cancer Society Scientific Lecture Meeting and the 33rd Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research Scientific Convention jointly here today. Several founding members sought the advice of experts to investigate the formulation of the association’s bylaws and established the Japanese Cancer Association officially at a meeting last night. The tenor of those bylaws lies in further advancing and improving cancer research, while they will also improve the content of the original articles published in the official journal “GANN (Cancer)” and newly establish the publication of abstracts, etc. Editorial boards will be created for each of these projects and we will be obliged to everybody who serves on them. I ask in advance for your cooperation from this day forwards. Based on its bylaws, the Japanese Cancer Association shall firstly appoint a President who shall be determined by recommendation at a meeting of the association from among its members.” (At this point, Dr. Minami stood and announced to the meeting that he recommended Dr. Nagayo as President. This was agreed unanimously and Dr. Nagayo accepted the position.)

Subsequent Developments: As of April 1997

The subsequent development of the Japanese Cancer Association can be proven by the increase in the number of lectures given at Annual Meetings down to the 56th meeting.

At the time of the 45th Annual Meeting in 1986, there were 11,462 members including 392 Councilors. Furthermore, there were 28 honorary members (including 19 foreigners). Incidentally, members currently number 17,500 (1997) including 383 Councilors. Furthermore, there are 43 honorary members (including 32 foreigners). Annual membership dues are \12,000.

Since the founding of the Japanese Cancer Association, the Executive Office was always in the Cancer Research Library and the personnel of that library cooperated in the execution of the association’s business for a long time. However, when the new research laboratories were completed in 1963, a dedicated office was established on the second floor and Hisae Izumo was hired as a full-time employee the following year.

There are two personnel at the Executive Office as of 1997, Yasuko Kobayashi and Chikako Tago. Former employees include Shuko Ito, Masako Yoshikawa, Ritsuko Yasuda, Mie Nakashima, Mieko Inada, Masako Ohashi (Sakata), Ayana Iwai, Hisae Izumo, Miki Kikoshi and Michiyo Shimoda.

Also, Utako Mizoguchi, who was invited by Tomizo Yoshida, has made many contributions in her involvement in the editing and English proofreading of the association’s official journal “GANN (Cancer)” as a freelancer.

Excerpt from the “75-Year History of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research”
(Tomoyuki Kitagawa, ed., January 1989)

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