The Japanese Classification Society (JCS) was founded as an independent society in 1983 with the following objectives:
The purposes of the Society shall be the development and expansion of classification research through cooperation by researchers in classification-related fields and through international information exchange. [Article 2 of the JCS Constitution]
As indicated, the JCS works for the advancement of both theories of classification and related data analysis and the practical application of these theories in a variety of fields. In particular, research conducted under the auspices of the JCS is aimed at breaking down separation of theory and practice and in moving away from consideration of abstract problems of theory versus practice to a practical welding of the two into a unified whole.
The society presently consists of 190* members representing a wide cross-section of related fields: statistics, computer science, psychology, social psychology, philology, archaeology, linguistics, economics, industrial engineering, biology, agriculture, medicine, geology and many others.
The JCS holds both a general meeting and a research meeting annually, and in addition, sponsors a yearly symposium with the objective of reviewing classification research on specific topics or research fields and of promoting the activities of the society. In addition to publishing the proceedings of these meetings, the society also publishes a biannual newsletter for exchanging information on the latest advances in classification research and in data analysis and related software.
(*) This is the number of members at January, 1999.