Greeting

I am Takahashi from Juntendo University, and I have been appointed Chairman of the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) as of April 2024. Alongside Dr. Yoshinori Hasegawa, Dr. Akihito Yokoyama, and Dr. Toyohiro Hirai, I have been involved in the operation of this society as senior directors under the chairmanship of the Third Chairman. Dr. Yoshinori Hasegawa set society's mission, vision, and seven goals during his chairmanship, after which more specific goals were proposed for the next five years. We will continue to work with the aim of "publishing research on respiratory medicine and its applications, exchanging knowledge, and cooperating with domestic and foreign members and related academic societies in order to promote the advancement and dissemination of respiratory medicine, thereby contributing to the development of science in Japan."

Respiratory diseases are diverse, including malignant tumors, infectious diseases, COPD, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary circulation disorders, sleep respiratory disorders, and rare diseases, with a scope that is vast. In addition, while the need for respiratory doctors was pointed out due to COVID-19, the need for respiratory doctors has further increased as respiratory diseases, which are common in the elderly, dramatically increase with the aging of the population. In the future, as Chairman, I will strive to achieve as much as possible during my two-year term with the following mission in mind.

Mission:
1) We will actively promote how interesting respiratory medicine is to young doctors and increase the number of members from the current 13,500 to approximately 15,000 within two years. Compared with the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology and the Japanese Circulation Society, there are relatively few JRS members, and the number of specialists is insufficient to meet the expectations of the public.

2) We will build a representative database of respiratory diseases and disseminate research results from thereon to the world. To this end, we will build a WG database and start our activities. It is the social responsibility of the JRS to promote research that can return to the public as an academic organization.

3) We will promote outreach to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology to make policy recommendations, including the treatment and prevention of respiratory diseases. First, we exchanged opinions with the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare and jointly planned academic lectures. We will also actively collaborate with the Social Insurance Union of Societies Related to Internal Medicine and request proposals regarding appropriate medical fees and DPCs from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

4) We will strengthen cooperation with overseas societies, mainly international committees, in which cooperation has stagnated due to COVID-19 and has not yet returned. We also want to revitalize personnel exchange.

5) We will promote activities related to the SDGs and diversity. Respiratory diseases mirror the environment. We will carry out environmentally friendly activities and increase the number of female executives.

6) We review the business content of the JRS Secretariat, improve its capabilities, and establish a system that can firmly support the activities of the JRS.

For the JRS to meet the demands of society and fulfill its responsibilities, it is most important that members work together to contribute to the development of respiratory disease science, communicate this to society, and pass it on to the next generation.

We would like to take this opportunity to ask everyone for their guidance and support.

Kazuhisa Takahashi
Chairman of the Board of Directors
The Japanese Respiratory Society