title: The current status of clinics providing private practice cell therapy in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the current state of clinics in Japan that offer unproven cell therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Google searches were performed to collect and analyze what kind of clinics provide what kind of cell therapies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 74 clinics and 247 cases of cell therapies were identified. Various cell therapies, including allograft, were provided not only to seriously ill patients but also to patients with other therapeutic options and healthy individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the practices revealed by our study seem to deviate from international standard, some of these can be construed as legal under the Japanese new act established in 2014.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering many patients travel to foreign countries to seek therapy, more research from non-English-speaking countries is needed.
authors.affiliation: Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics, Center for iPS Cell Research & Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Misao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Uehiro Research Division for iPS Cell Ethics, Center for iPS Cell Research & Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Taichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatta
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Ethics, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Reina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozeki
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Ethics, The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akabayashi
mesh_terms: D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D015925:Cryopreservation; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011331:Private Practice; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
keywords: Japan; cell therapies; medical tourism; regulations; unproven