Background, introduction and activity of the Japan Primary Registries Network.

Regarding registration and publication of clinical trials, there are now three registry organizations in Japan; the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN), the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center (JAPIC) and the Japan Medical Association - Center for Clinical Trials (JMACCT). In addition, a portal site which supports searching for information on clinical trials in all three registries has been operated by the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH). After we established a cooperative system, we became a WHO Primary Registry on October 16, 2008 and announced this in Japan on the next day. This cooperation system is called the Japan Primary Registries Network (JPRN). In order to show that this type of network works well as a Primary Registry, we are cooperating with global activities of World Health Organization's International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) to promote clinical trials and propose appropriate idea to the world.