The Japan Human Cell Society (Nihon Hito Sai-bou Gakkai) operates in Japan within the supportive environment of the stem cell research community. It is a professional society made up of some 600 researchers and physicians from around the world whose work focuses on the study of human and animal stem cells. The Japan Human Cell Society was established in 1983 as the Human Cell Research Meeting at a time when stem cell research was relatively new in Japan, and membership grew to 800 researchers and supporters before beginning to decline. The name of the group was officially changed to the Human Cell Society in 1990. Members generally refer to the group simply as “the Society.” Since 1998, the society’s work has been disseminated through the ...