It is a great honor for Dokkyo University School of Medicine to be put in charge of the Second Annual Congress of the Japanese Gastroenterological Association. First of all, while I am the president of the school, it is only with the talents of digestive tract internal medicine professor Hideyuki Hiraishi, the teaching staff, and teaching association that I could be in charge of this conference.

Here at the beginning of the 21st century, we are facing a tough situation in the medical profession. And gastroenterology will face hardships in the future both domestically and internationally. So, we are looking at how to overcome this period of difficulty. Striving to create a future of its own and great breakthroughs are expected for gastroenterology, a field that covers a wide range of ailments of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Gastroenterology has more patients than other fields with ulcerous or inflamed ailments as well as malignant ailments. So, new developments in gastroenterology are widely expected for the welfare of the human race.

It is in just such a situation the Japanese Gastroenterological Association was formed. The first annual congress went off spectacularly under the guidance of Makoto Ito of Nagoya City University Department of Internal Medicine and Bioregulation and his crew. The objective of this conference is to bring together those involved in fundamental and clinical medicine as well as doctors, medical scientists, co-medicals, pharmaceutical scientists, agricultural scientists, and engineers specializing in gastroenterology, and to have them make discoveries in all aspects of gastrointestinal tract pathologic conditions, diagnosis, and treatment. Thus, the association is divided into two main fundamental scientific and clinical aspects. I think it would be great to see some out-of-this-world debate on the former. But I would like to see the topics discussed published in English in top journals. For clinical medicine, on the other hand, I would like for presenters to prepare projects related to everyday clinical medicine such as diagnosis, treatment, endoscopics, and pathology, and for presentations to be full of information that is cutting-edge internationally. I would like to see vigorous discussion on that which includes practicing physicians.

Bringing together actual clinical examples and carrying out pathology along with case studies is bringing much notoriety. Educational lectures as postgraduate courses are well rounded with a lecture staff centered on young doctors. I would like to see many doctors attending and participating in discussions. And we are holding nutritional sessions that take into account issues such as lifestyle-related diseases and metabolic syndrome.

In four or five years, gastroenterologist certification is planned to be available. The purpose of this Association is to develop specialists with real strengths rather than just an empty title.