Bone and joint disease around the world. The Japan Rheumatism Friendship Association.

The Japan Rheumatism Friendship Association (JRFA) was founded in 1960 and today has a membership of about 23,000, with 47 chapters across the country. We periodically conduct a survey of our membership for the Rheumatism White Paper, which we have been publishing since the JRFA was formed. The entire membership is surveyed every 5 years; surveys give an accurate picture of the current state of the disease and reflect the fundamental activities of the JRFA; they shed light on progress in developing effective measures against arthritis, and give people a better understanding of rheumatism. The survey is also a unique resource, for it canvasses a wide cross section of people with arthritis. In Japan, the Rheumatism White Paper is widely regarded as an authoritative source. The aims of the JRFA are to promote the accurate knowledge of RA to improve mutual friendship, and to work for the establishment and development of policies against RA disease. In this way, the JRFA seeks to advance the welfare of RA patients. In this article the activities of the JRFA are described.