Dear Colleagues:     Fatigue is an indispensable bio-alarm to avoid the exhaustive state caused by severe stresses and overwork, which may also induce a variety of diseases. However, still not so much are known about the molecular and neural mechanisms of fatigue.  The world-wide efforts to explore the mechanisms of fatigue and to develop better ways to recover from fatigue have increased markedly in the past five years, concomitant with new enthusiasm for exploring the molecular/neural mechanisms and epidemiology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and related diseases. The International Conference on Fatigue Science 2008 will be held as a part of activities of The 21st Century COE Program, "Base to Overcome Fatigue" in Japan, and therefore will be sponsored mainly by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Government (MEXT). The International Association on CFS/ME and the Japanese Society of Fatigue Science will support the Conference. In our discussion of ways to merge research on fatigue with that on CFS/ME, we planned our upcoming conference to be in "Bankoku Shinryokan," Okinawa. "Bankoku Shinryo" meaning "Bridge between Nations," is named after a phrase carved on the large bell at Shuri Castle. Bankoku Shinryokan stands on the scenic Busena Point overlooking the East China Sea. It was established as the main Convention Center for the 2000 Kyushu-Okinawa G-8 Summit and has hosted many successful conventions since the Summit. Okinawa is an idyllic holiday destination with its coral reefs, limestone carves, and its sub-tropical climate. We look forward to seeing you in Okinawa to discuss a lot about and corporately rescue the people suffering from "fatigue."               Chair: Yasuyoshi Watanabe (Kobe/Osaka, Japan) International Conference on Fatigue Science 2008