Greeting

There was a board meeting during the 107th general meeting of the Japanese Urological Association in Nagoya, and I was appointed as the new chairman of the association. I am very honored and at the same time, I find it sobering to be assuming the responsibility. I would like to contribute to the progress of the Urological Association with the help of our members.

The Japanese Urological Association is proud to have a membership of approximately 9,000 and approximately 250 new residents join each year. We have seen remarkable advances in urology in recent years. The examples include innovative surgeries such as robot-assisted surgeries and the latest cancer drug treatments such as molecular targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. It is difficult to explain urology in one word. It is characterized as a surgical field that deals with the diseases of the renal and urinary system in both men and women and the genital diseases in men, but it also provides internal medicine diagnosis and drug treatments. In terms of academic and disease areas, it deals with neoplastic diseases represented by prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and testicular cancer; kidney disease treatments such as kidney transplants and dialysis; endocrine diseases such as diseases of adrenal glands, testicles, prostates; urinary medicine, andrology, reproductive medicine. It also deals with a variety of pediatric urinary disorders in both boys and girls. The Japanese Urological Association has thus developed a chain of disciplines encompassing a wide range of specialized fields. Based on the high level of expertise, the 15 committees of specialized fields assist the smooth operation of the association. We will contribute further to the welfare of the Japanese people through the promotion of basic/clinical research and the development of advanced medical technologies.

As a core academic association defined by medical specialist organizations, we will promote the training of urologists who will be responsible for the future as a mission of the association. To do so, it is necessary to build a solid education program. Our training system for residents is built to ensure that the urology science that encompasses various academic disciplines will develop as a whole. It includes interdisciplinary areas that involve other academic societies, and the association offers various educational contents so that they can receive high-quality training. I believe it is necessary to align our focus on one direction to foster specialists for the next generation by collaborating with university hospitals, regional medical institutions and medical practitioners, etc. while aiming to contribute to community medical care. Therefore, I would appreciate your cooperation.

The clinical and academic level of urology in Japan is high, and it has shown Japan's presence through the presentations at overseas conferences and the publication of papers. The Japan Urological Association publishes the International Journal of Urology (IJU), our official journal with high international recognition, as a means to spread information worldwide. We have established a collaboration system with the American Urological Association, the European Urological Association, and the International Urological Societies, and we have created a mechanism that enables young generations to take an active part at overseas conferences. I aim to further promote our internationalization that is inter-connected to education.

By joining the NCD, the Japanese Urological Association has started a full-scale project to construct a medical treatment database in 2018. In addition to spreading the information on the results of our excellent treatments to the world, we aim to ultimately return the benefit to the welfare of the Japanese people through a reflection on medical costs and the improvement of the quality of medical care. The medical environment that surrounds us is changing every moment. I would like to build a unified association which can respond to those changes. In order to address the work style reform the Japanese government is advocating, I believe we need to investigate the working conditions and the uneven distribution of doctors and provide concrete responses through the Committee for Gender Equality. With regard to medical safety, the Committee for Medical Safety is responding and building a foundation for safe medical care.

Our community is clinically connected to the study of urology, and I think the association members find it invaluable. I believe it is necessary to convey the mindset of research and devotion to future generations and to make further progress in response to the medical environment which is going through major changes. We will work towards a bright future, and we would be grateful for your support.

Mototsugu Oya, Professor and Chairman

The Department of Urology, Keio University