Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death for Japanese since 1981, accounting for one-third of Japanese deaths. One's lifestyle is closely related to the contraction of cancer and one can avoid developing cancer to a large extent by changing one's lifestyle. Thus education can play an important role. Since many types of cancer develop slowly over many years, teaching children about the risk of cancer and the importance of having a healthy lifestyle will go a long way toward reducing cancer.

A report by researchers from the Geneva-based International Union Against Cancer (UICC) says that about 40 percent of cancers can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Every year, Feb. 4 is marked as World Cancer Day, led by UICC and its member organizations in 86 nations with the support of the World Health Organization. This year UICC started a campaign "Cancers can be prevented too." WHO estimates that the number of global cancer deaths will increase 45 percent from 2007 to 11.5 million by 2030, up from 7.9 million deaths at present.

It is believed that smoking causes about 30 percent of cancer. "Not smoking" is one of the most effective ways to prevent cancer that is cost-free and is not difficult if one is determined. WHO says: "Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world today. It causes 80 to 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths, and nearly one-third of all cancer deaths in developing countries." In North America and Europe, the decline in the incidence of cancer in the 1990s is attributed to a decrease in the number of smokers.