Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) was established in 1939 after a special decree from Her Imperial Majesty the Empress. In the same year, as one of the facilities of JATA, the Research Institute of Tuberculosis (RIT) was founded. RIT is a World Health Organization (WHO) collaborating centre for TB research and training and was appointed as a “WHO Supra National Reference Laboratory.” It
is a semi-national institute with the mission of promoting an effective nationwide tuberculosis (TB) program through basic and applied research, training and education, program support and international cooperation. Besides carrying out domestic training courses, RIT has been conducting international group-training courses and since 1963 has trained 2,082 professionals from 97 countries. Currently RIT/JATA is providing technical assistance and program support to TB control in several countries including Zambia, Cambodia, Nepal, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
