Morikazu Onji1,2, Mikio Zeniya1,3, Kazuhide Yamamoto1,4, Hirohito Tsubouchi5. 1. Autoimmune Hepatitis Study Group, Subgroup of the Intractable Hepato-Biliary Disease Study Group in Japan, Tokyo, Japan. 2. Imabari Saiseikai Medical-Welfare Center, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Gastroenterology, Jikei University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. 4. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan. 5. Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, Japan.