[Organ transplantation--approaching the 21st century]

The first clinical kidney transplantation in a chronic renal failure patient in Japan was carried out in March 1964. As of the end of 1997, 12,408 transplantations had been performed; grafts from living donors were used in 8,908, while cadaveric grafts were used in 3,500 recipients. As the next step after enactment of the law concerning human organ transplants, we must endeavor to distribute donor cards and educate people to accept the concept death. At the same time, every effort must be made to establish method for induction of graft tolerance in the clinical setting.