Yokohama, JAPAN: The International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society has selected Yokohama, Japan, as the site for its 12th International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society Congress (ISRS) in 2015. The venue will be PACIFICO Yokohama, the flagship facility of Yokohama, and Japan’s largest convention complex.
Dr. Motohiro Hayashi, from the Tokyo Women’s Medical University and Chair of the Local Organizing Committee for ISRS 2015, shared that Yokohama was able to win the bid over Hong Kong because of two reasons. One, Japan will hold the Congress with other related meetings to increase the number of attendees, and two, Japan has recovered quickly from the 3.11 Earthquake and tsunami, and has a living knowledge of how to decrease the dangers of radiology from nuclear plants.
Dr. Hayashi added; “Japan has played an integral part in the development of stereotactic radiosurgery over the last few decades. Hosting the 12th ISRS meeting in Yokohama will be a great opportunity to establish a milestone in achieving more cooperation among the specialists worldwide.” He is eagerly anticipating to “Meet the experts”, which is the theme of the congress, and to discuss and navigate the future of this cutting-edge medical technology.
Dr. Hayashi is Vice President of the Radiosurgery Committee of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) and a member of the Program Committee of the 16th quadrennial meeting of the World Society for Stereotactic Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN). He is also founder of the Asian Gamma Knife Academy.
Japan is recognised as a leader in stereotactic radiosurgery in the Asia Oceania region with 55 Gamma Knife centres, 25 Cyber Knife centres and 7 particle radiotheraphy centres across the country. In addition, there are various types of IMRT therapeutic apparatuses installed, and approximately 10,000 neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists.
Another win for Yokohama is the Asian-Pacific Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (A-PHPBA)Regional Congress in 2017. Japan bid against Indonesia, and won by a majority vote.
The Congress will be co-hosted by the A-PHPBA and the Japanese Society of Hepato-BiliaryPancreatic Surgery (JSHBPS). The A-PHPBA is part of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA) which originates back to 1978. JSHBPS was established in1988, and currently has over 3,500 members. With the large membership in Japan, the Congress is expected to attract over 3,000 researchers from in and out of the country.
Yokohama is deeply involved in the medical field, which includes hepato-pancreato-biliary research.
The city’s bayside district is a world-leading center for regenerative medicines and other life science fields, serving as home to the RIKEN Yokohama Institute and numerous other companies and research facilities.
The area has been designated by the Japanese government as a “Comprehensive International Strategic Zone for the Life Sciences” as part of a national development project, and the district is expected to serve as a center of new development for the future of medicine. Cutting-edge research being carried out in this district has resulted in Yokohama City University’s successful creation of human liver cells from iPS cells and other such accomplishments.
