The Health and Medical Services Law for the Aged was implemented from February, 1983 in Japan. This paper describes the present status of health examination programs and cancer screening programs and related issues as follows : methods of the basic health examination and cancer screening, the number of the examinees, detection numbers and rates of targeted diseases, i.e. hypertension, anemia, cancer of the stomach, uterus, lung, breast, and colon etc. The Goals of Japanese Government of the Health Services by the year 2000 are discussed from the several points of view. J Epidemiol, 1996 ; 6 : S159-Sl63.