From President
A message from the President of the Society (June, 2016)
The President of the Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science
(the fiscal year 2016-2017):
Yoshiharu Shimomura
The Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science (JSNFS) was established in 1947 and has a history of about 70 years. The JSNFS was authorized as a Public-interest Incorporated Association in September 2011. It was a great honor for me to be appointed as President of the JSNFS at the General Assembly of 70th annual meeting of the JSNFS held in Kobe on 13 May 2016. I will work as President for about 2 years through the General Assembly of the 72nd annual meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Okayama on 11 May 2018. During this period, I will do my best to sustain the status of the JSNFS as a Public-interest Incorporated Association and to enhance the academic activities of the society.
Needless to say, nutritional and food sciences have a great impact on human health, reflecting the fact that this field involves applied medical sciences. The JSNFS is 14th largest member society of the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences, which has 126 member societies in total. The targets of this field are disparate, but important topics that require attention are over-nutrition/obesity, lifestyle-related diseases, and aging-associated symptoms. At the annual meetings that are the most important activity of the JSNFS, many types of basic research related to the topics covered are presented, which contribute to the concept of “Evidence-based Nutrition” and the “Purposes of the JSNFS” (see “Overview” on the home page).
In May 2015, the 12th Asian Congress of Nutrition (ACN) was held at Pacifico Yokohama and the JSNFS was the main organizer of the meeting. This was a considerable success for us, because this meeting had about 4,000 participants, including more than 1,000 from abroad. In 2009, Yokohama (Japan) was selected as the Host of the 12th ACN at the board of trustees meeting of the Federation of Asian Nutrition Societies (FANS), which was held during the 19th International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) in Bangkok (Thailand). Furthermore, Tokyo (Japan) was selected as the Host of the 22nd ICN at the general assembly meeting of International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), held at the 20th ICN in Granada (Spain) in 2013. The members of the Bid Committee organized by the JSNFS had worked hard to invite the 22nd ICN to Tokyo. At this meeting, Professor Teruo Miyazawa (former President of the JSNFS, 2012-2013) was selected as one of trustees of the IUNS. As a result of these activities, the JSNFS has become truly globalized, and this progress is still being maintained.
The members of the JSNFS now number about 4,000, but the number of regular members (about 3,000) tends to be decreasing gradually, although this society is very active in domestic as well as international academic fields of nutrition and food sciences. I would like to ask the members of the JSNFS to make all efforts to increase member numbers in the future. I greatly appreciate your kind collaboration and warm support.