In Japan, reported cases of tuberculosis had declined nearly every year until 1995. However, in 1997 newly recorded cases began increasing for the first time in more than 38 years. Recent studies using DNA fingerprinting show that person- to person transmission may account for as many as one-third of new cases of tuberculosis in citizen populations. Nucleic acid hybridization methods using specific DNA probes can specifically identify M. tuberculosis and other mycobacterial species. Rapid nucleic acid amplification techniques such as polymerase chain reaction methods allow direct identification of M. tuberculosis in clinical specimens. Is 6110 has been exploited extensively as a clonal marker in molecular epidemiology studies of tuberculosis. The emergence of resistance to antituberculosis drugs is a relevant matter worldwide. A recent genotypic method allows earlier detection of RFP-resistant and INH-resistant stains using probes for mutation in rpoB and in katG.