The Japan Council for Quality Health Care (JCQHC), which was set up in 1995 as a third party organisation, is further involved in a number of quality activities such as the reporting of medical adverse events or hospitals accreditation. From 2004, data on medical adverse events are systematically collected and analysed by the JCQHC’s Department of Adverse Event Prevention. The overarching aim is to promote patient safety by sharing information with medical institutions and users. To this end, quarterly and annual reports around medical adverse events are issued, workshops organised and warnings or guidelines published.