J_p_nes Red Cr_ss S_ciety　Blood Donation Campaign Launched in 21 Countries

The letters "A","B", and "O" are used to denote blood type. A campaign to promote blood donation called　"MISSING TYPE" has been launched across 21 countries from August 15 to 21st. This campaign was intended to alert　people that blood donors are disappearing, by deleting the letters"A", "B", and "O".

NHS Blood and Transplant, which provides blood services in England, launched the campaign last June in collaboration with over 1,000 companies and organizations. After succeeding in increasing the number of registered donors by three times from the previous year, the campaign went worldwide.

In Japan, the number of blood donors aged 16-29 has decreased by more than half over the last 15 years, and the problem of decreasing donors has become a serious issue facing the countries participating in this campaign. These activities are expected to raise awareness and deepen understanding of blood donation among all age groups, but especially the young who will play important roles in the future.

In Japan, companies, organizations, and stores located around the headquarters of the Japanese Red Cross Society, Tokyo joined in this campaign. On a special site they posted images of their logos and signs with the letters "A","B", and "O" removed. A representative from the Tokyo Tower, which participated in the campaign, commented "we wanted to emphasize the importance of blood donation and convey the message to as many people as possible. We decided to send this message by turning the Tokyo Tower blood-red."

The letter "O" disappeared from the sign at the elevator hall in the Tokyo Tower.

Companies such as Google Japan, Niantic Japan, MOS Burger, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Tatsunoko Production posted pictures digitally deleting the letters "A","B", and "O" from their company logos or signs.

Newsletter, September 2016 by JRCS