▲ "Love Blood Donation Campaign" Month Poster The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, prefectural governments, and the Japanese Red Cross Society will be conducting the "Love Blood Donation Campaign" nationwide for one month from July 1 to July 31. During this period, we will conduct blood donation awareness activities through various events and campaigns in cooperation with volunteer organizations and others. ▲ Blood Donation Character "Kenketsu-chan" (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) What is blood donation... Blood donation is a volunteer act where healthy individuals provide their blood free of charge for patients who need "transfusions" or "plasma-derived medicinal products" for medical treatment or surgery. *Transfusion is... a treatment method to supplement red blood cells, platelets, etc., when their function declines or their quantity decreases. *Plasma-derived medicinal products are... proteins such as blood coagulation factors, immunoglobulins, and albumin contained in plasma, which have been extracted and purified. Reasons why blood donation is necessary Blood used for transfusions cannot be stored for long periods, and there are no artificial substitutes. Furthermore, in recent years, the demand for immunoglobulin preparations, one of the "plasma-derived medicinal products" made from blood, has increased rapidly. Therefore, to secure the blood needed for transfusions and other purposes, continuous cooperation with blood donation is necessary, without concentration in any particular period. Understanding and cooperation from younger generations is especially needed for blood donation. ▲ Source: "The Form of Love: Blood Donation" April 2026 (Reiwa 8), 31st Edition Many of the transfusion blood products and plasma-derived medicinal products supported by blood donation are used in the medical care of the elderly, with approximately 88% of transfusion blood products used by individuals aged 50 and over. On the other hand, approximately 53% of curre