An Outline of the History of Family Nursing in Japan and the Japanese Association for Research in Family Nursing (JARFN)

Abstract

The term family nursing first came to be known in Japan in 1993 when Chiba University and the University of Tokyo both started offering courses in family nursing. Although the family nursing curriculum at Chiba University was endowed for 5 years, Professor Kazuko Suzuki (who, since retiring from Tokai University as a professor, is currently running her research institute) and Hiroko Watanabe (who is currently directing the Family Care Research Institute) vigorously wrote textbooks and held an international symposium during this 5-year period, in an effort to popularize family nursing research throughout Japan. The symposium invited Professor Wright and Associate Professor Bell from the University of Calgary, and its participants included Professor Michiko Moriyama among others. These were truly the days in which family nursing was being introduced to Japan. Meanwhile, the University of Tokyo was steadily building a foundation for family nursing by hosting an official course taught by Professor Chieko Sugishita. Back then, Kazuko Ishigaki (currently the president of Ishikawa Prefectural Nursing University) was an associate professor and Naohiro Hohashi (presently a professor at Kobe University) was an assistant instructor. This course later had Noriko Yamamoto (presently a professor at University of Tokyo), Nami Kobayashi (presently a professor at Kitasato University), and others as its graduates.