A Message from the President
For the Sustainable Development of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
I have been appointed as the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan from fiscal year 2023. The world has been in turmoil since early 2020 with the spread of COVID-19, but with the first ever mRNA vaccines and therapeutics being developed and clinically applied one after another at an astounding rate, you can be sure that a new normal world has begun. How has the once-in-a-century pandemic affected the way we think and act, how will the rapidly advancing digital transformation affect pharmaceutical research and clinical practice, and what should we do now to prepare for the future? The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan needs to work more closely and more promptly than ever before with its 10 subcommittees in different areas of expertise, 8 branch associations in each region, 16 standing committees, 2 special committees and the
secretariat to address the forthcoming issues.
Shigeki Sasaki, Ph.D.
President,
The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, founded in April 1880 by the first president, Dr. Nagayoshi Nagai, with his passion for pharmaceutical sciences, is one of the few academic societies in Japan with over 140 years of history and tradition. Currently, the society has more than 15,000 individual members and more than 200 supporting members from organizations and companies. Under the common keyword of "pharmaceutical sciences," the society is composed of diverse members from a wide range of professional fields, including universities, companies, medical institutions, various research institutes, and government agencies, and its activities are developed. In order to meet the expectations of those suffering from diseases and of human society, we will do our utmost to evolve as an association that contributes to the development of pharmaceutical sciences by working together with our members.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan has contributed to the development of pharmaceutical sciences through the publication of three academic journals, Chem. Pharm. Bull., Biol. Pharm. Bull. and YAKUGAKU ZASSHI, and the society's information journal Farumashia. Since the time of President Yoshinobu Takakura, we have been reforming our editorial system, promoting collaboration with J-STAGE, distributing newsletters for the two English-language journals as e-mail newsletters, and providing early access to papers from the Graphical Abstract of the latest issues, among other improvements in convenience. We encourage all members to contribute to the journal with a view to its further development as the pride of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.
The development of young pharmaceutical researchers who will lead the next generation is an urgent issue for the sustainable development of pharmaceutical research in Japan. Under the leadership of President Masakatsu Shibasaki, the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan established a new scholarship program for 4-year doctoral and postdoctoral students as the "Nagai Memorial Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Encouragement Support Program" in 2015, and in 2022 established the Young Investigator Award for recipients of this program and honored the winners at the 142nd Annual Meeting in Nagoya as well as 143rd Annual Meeting in Sapporo. We intend to continue to encourage young researchers, including undergraduates and graduate students, by providing them with opportunities to present their research in English and by honoring them with awards for encouragement and excellence at the annual meeting, section meetings, and chapter meetings. Since the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan is an association of people who have made pharmaceuticals their life's work in various capacities, we will establish a platform that allows senior generation members to actively participate in the Society's activities with an eye toward the 100-year life period.
We will accelerate the movements of "fusion of disciplines," "expansion of diversity," and "internationalization" promoted by the former President Shigeki Sasaki together with Vice Presidents Dr. Itsuko Ishii (Medical Pharmacy) and Dr. Yoshio Hayashi (Chemistry) to make the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan even more attractive. We sincerely ask for the support and cooperation of all our members.
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