Dear Colleagues,

　The 36th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology will be held from November 30 to December 2 in Yokohama. I have served as a Board Member of JASTRO for 12 years since 2010, including my 6 years as President starting in 2016. This year, it is a great honor for me to be able to serve as President of the 2023 Annual Meeting.

　The theme of the 36th Annual Meeting is “威風凛然. (Ifu-Rinzen).” “威風(Ifu)” denotes majestic or dignified and “凛然(Rinzen)” means valiant with a stalwart, tightly-composed manner. Thus, in the domain of oncology, among surgeons who perform surgery and internists who administer chemotherapy, I believe that various treatment method consultations can only move ahead when there are experienced, dignified doctors as well as young, valiant, braced-for-any-challenge radiologists. In order to become confident in realizing “威風凛然 (Ifu-Rinzen),” it is essential to possess sufficient knowledge and to have accumulated diverse experiences; in addition, to back this up, a person must have a strong belief in him/herself. We aim to develop such human resources.

　This year’s poster features Ladakh, situated in a mountainous region in the northernmost part of India, at an altitude of over 3,000 meters. Ladakh is surrounded by the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges, and the region can only be visited for a few months during the short summer. This region’s inhabitants certainly epitomize our meeting’s theme, carrying out their daily lives in this harsh natural environment where temperatures fluctuate from 30° C in summer to -20° C in winter, in a dignified and stalwart manner.

　While we are continuing to study online/hybrid formats, monitoring the status of COVID-19, we intend to hold this meeting onsite to the extent possible, as face-to-face debate, information-sharing among members during intervals, and expansion of personal connections are important roles of the meeting. Nevertheless, the safety of all participants is paramount. We will carefully deliberate the meeting format, considering all factors, as we progress with the preparations. The meeting format will be determined as early as possible and announced on this website.

　The venue in case of an on-site meeting will be PACIFICO Yokohama North. Our Annual Meeting has been held at Minato Mirai in the past, but this would be the first time to utilize PACIFICO Yokohama North. Although located some distance from the station, this is a very large venue and participants can benefit from the ample space for all aspects, including the equipment exhibition.

　JASTRO will be held in the greater Tokyo metropolis after an interval of several years. We are preparing various plans that we hope all participants will enjoy. I look forward to welcoming many colleagues to Yokohama in November!