[Conflict of interest management in the Japanese Society of Hematology].

A conflict of interest (COI) is a conflict between private interests and one's official responsibilities. COI is unavoidable and thus needs to be managed. Debates about COI in medical research area began in the United States in the 1980s. COI clause was added to the Helsinki Declaration in the year of 2000 after the Gelsinger affair. Discussions in Japan subsequently followed, and COI management guidelines have been sequentially presented by different organizations, particularly after the Diovan incident in 2013. Guidelines presented by the Japan Medical Association (JMA) in 2017 are currently regarded as standard. COI disclosure is required at research presentations and medical practice guideline announcements, among others, and should be carefully managed in the latter. In 2018, the Japanese Society of Hematology announced revision of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine common guidance, presenting it in accordance with the JMA's guidelines. In the "Specific Clinical Research" section defined in the "Clinical Research Method Enforcement Rule", people who should not take a representative position or who should pay special attention when taking it are defined.