The Japan Society of Coloproctology: a brief history.

The Japan Society of Proctology was inaugurated in 1940 by a number of proctologists in the hope of confirming the independence of their special field of medicine. Originally, it was a small society, consisting mainly of proctologists in practice. Afterward, the scope of the specialty was enlarged, so the name of the society changed to the Japan Society of Coloproctology in 1967. The number of members increased steadily after the 1970s because of the remarkable increase of colorectal lesions in Japan and the rapid progress of coloproctology in the world. The number of societal members reached 5,000 in 1994. Annual meetings of the Society have been held regularly ever since, and the 50th meeting was commemorated in Tokyo in 1995. Also, regular journals of the Society have been issued since its establishment. In addition, the Society has supported many international and domestic societies and has collaborated with them.