The Japan Cancer Society (JCS), which marks the 50^th anniversary of its foundation this year, is a nationwide civic organization that has spearheaded the private-sector fight against cancer in Japan.
 

Our primary mission is to conduct a nationwide cancer-prevention campaign that raises public awareness of cancer and urges the public to undergo cancer screenings. Our regional branches across the nation annually invite about 11 million people, mainly in rural communities, to be screened for cancer. As a result, about 13,000 new cancer patients are identified each year.
 

JCS provides cancer information to patients, their families and the general public, through such means as telephone consultations and meetings with volunteer specialists. JCS also publishes pamphlets, gives lectures, trains specialists on cancer screening, and funds research on cancer prevention.