THA Development in Japan

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) was first widely performed in Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and since then more than half a century has passed. The reports from those days show that imported implants were unsuitable for the Japanese skeletal structure and that even the tools for osteotomy and excavation were insufficient. In this situation, our predecessors had successfully performed surgeries with their ingenuity and joined forces with domestic companies to challenge the development of new hip implants [1, 2]. This section summarizes the THA developed in Japan. The clinical outcomes of THA developed in the early days were not as good as those of today, but considering that the current THA is based on them, they are all valuable. Looking back at the history of THA, similar mistakes have frequently been repeated. Our mission is to identify the cause of poor outcomes and avoid making the same mistakes. The current treatment results may be the best for us; however, in the eyes of future generations, they are destined to become outdated. The importance of “learning the new from the old” applies well to implant development.