As the Congress President of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Japan Shoulder Society, I would like to welcome all of you to Sendai. It is our great honor and pleasure to host the annual meeting of this prestigious society with the world-longest history in Sendai. This is the third time that we have this meeting in Sendai, after President Minoru Sakurai hosting the 15th Annual Meeting in 1988 and President Jun Kumagai hosting the 37th Annual Meeting in 2010. We would make every effort to make this meeting a successful one. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.

"For Better Understanding of Shoulder Pathophysiology" is the theme of this meeting. We are apt to pay more attention to the surgical skills and techniques, but more important thing is to clarify the pathophysiology of various shoulder diseases. Why does a rotator cuff tear occur? Why does a dislocation occur? Why no dislocation after total capsular release for frozen shoulders? There are many "why's" around us. Advancement of shoulder science cannot be achieved without answering these why's. Basic science trying to answer these questions is one of the major strength of our society. I would like to encourage the members to submit many papers related to these "why's".

The Past President Keizo Morisawa dramatically increased English sessions in the program in order to promote globalization, the theme of the 41st Annual Meeting. I would like to maintain this stream in our meeting. We have four Presidential Guest Speakers from abroad: Dr. Herbert Resch (Austria) from Europe, Dr. Kwang-Jin Rhee (Korea) from Asia, Dr. Robert Neviaser (USA) from North America, and Sergio Checchia (Brazil) from South America. They will give us a talk related to the development of their own society through intercontinental exchange. Furthermore, Dr. Katsuya Nobuhara will give us a talk about our society and its development through international exchange.

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck our area. The recovery process is still under way. Seeing is believing. We have an optional tour to visit the coastal areas most severely struck. I would like you to take this opportunity to realize the power of natural disaster, which we believe would strengthen your consciousness of disaster prevention.

We look forward to seeing you in Sendai.