Yesterday, it was reported in the Yomiuri Shimbun (page 2) that there is a movement to unify the positions of acupuncture points, as they vary and sometimes deviate in countries such as Japan and China. The reason for this initiative is to eliminate confusion caused by having different positions under the same name.
According to the article, this movement towards standardization already existed 16 years ago.
WHO to Set World Standards for Acupuncture Point Locations
The positions of 361 acupuncture points used in acupuncture and moxibustion will be standardized internationally. The World Health Organization (WHO) will decide on the unified criteria for these acupuncture points at an international conference to be held in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, starting from the 31st.
Currently, the positions of acupuncture points differ from country to country, and while each position is considered effective, it has been a source of confusion when discussing the efficacy of acupuncture internationally.
(Omitted)
In 1989, WHO unified the names of the 361 acupuncture points and assigned international numbers to them. Furthermore, from 2003, a consultative conference composed of researchers from Japan, China, and Korea has been established to consider the standardization of these positions.
October 27, 2006, 3:04 a.m. Yomiuri Shimbun
If you search for “therapeutic” and similar terms on the WHO’s page (http://www.who.or.jp/index.html) (removed), you can find PDFs related to acupuncture points. ()
