Tuberculosis is not a disease of the past. In 1951, the number of newly listed tuberculosis patients totaled approximately 560,000, the highest ever. The figure then dropped steadily, with the exception of a small increase in 1959. However, since 1992, the annual decrease in new cases had slowed down, and in 1997, the number of patients increased by 243 from the previous year. The increase is thought to be linked to the country's growing elderly population.
Experts see the increase as linked to Japan's aging society.