Greeting

Mototsugu Oya

Mototsugu Oya, M.D.
Congress Chairman of the 109th Annual Meeting
of the Japanese Urological Association
Professor and Chairman, Department of Urology
Keio University School of Medicine

The 109th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Urological Association (JUA), which was originally scheduled for April 2021, had to be postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic and will now be held from Tuesday, December 7 to Friday, December 10, 2021 at Pacifico Yokohama. I would like to express both my apologies for the inconvenience caused to JUA members, invited speakers, and sponsoring companies by this change in date, and my great appreciation for your unchanging support and advice.

The theme of the 109th Annual Meeting is “Cosmos Inside of Urology – Diverse and Profound Expertise.” Urologists have to cope with an exceptionally wide range of conditions, ranging from cancer, reproductive medicine, renal transplantation, lithiasis, erectile dysfunction in men, urinary incontinence in women, and congenital disorders, and these all require a high degree of specialization. Treatments include both pharmacological and surgical therapies, and urologists are also involved in device development and basic research. Patients of both sexes cover the entire range of ages from children to the elderly. This combination of a highly specialized nature coupled with a varied range of areas and fields is one of urology’s most defining characteristics, and we urologists ourselves are also a highly diverse group in terms of skills, attributes, and personalities. As we are also engaged in both reproductive medicine, which concerns the birth of new life, and the end-stage treatment of cancer patients, our treatment naturally reflects the overall values of our contemporary society, including its social, religious, cultural, and economic aspects. This Annual Meeting will emphasize the characteristic specialized nature of urology and its diversity in covering all aspects of treatment from diagnosis to surgery and pharmacological therapy, both conveying to our younger colleagues the worldview that has emerged as a consequence and giving rise to new worldviews by posing the question “What is urology?” and building a platform on which to consider its future direction.

To overcome the limitations of our medicine-based worldview, the program will include a Special Lecture, “Design the Future” Lecture, and “View from the Cosmos” lectures given by speakers from non-medical fields. The Special Lecture will be given by artist Morihiro Hosokawa (the 79th Prime Minister of Japan) on the subject of “700 Years of the Hosokawa Family: Pen, Sword, and Beauty,” and the “Design the Future” Lecture will be given by journalist Akira Ikegami on the subject of “Japan in a Changing World: Living the Global Community.” Three speakers have been invited to give “View from the Cosmos” lectures. Contemporary artist Yasumasa Morimura will speak on “The M Way of Art Appreciation: It’s OK to be Wrong as Long as You Enjoy It”; scholar of Russian literature Ikuo Kameyama (President of Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, Emeritus Professor of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and member of the Japan Art Academy) will speak on “Fertile Darkness: Dostoevsky and the Contemporary World”; and scholar of religious history Shinichi Nakazawa (Director of the Institut pour la Science Sauvage of Meiji University) will talk about “Urological Reversals.”

We are also planning a large number of multidisciplinary symposia and workshops based on this concept. I would like to thank the Program Committee, composed chiefly of the chairs of the 15 specialist committees of the Japanese Urological Association, for their assistance. The program is thus structured to be complementary and multilayered. I hope that these four days will leave a lasting impression on everyone who takes part. If participants go home with a fount of positive feelings toward contributing to society, the Annual Meeting will have fulfilled its purpose.

I am pleased to say that a very large number of abstracts have been submitted. Of 1,446 submissions, a total of 1,434 have been accepted, comprising 1,179 selected as general (oral, poster, or video) presentations, 152 as JUA Annual Meeting Award (Poster Section/Video Section) presentations, 45 as JUA International Session Award presentations, and 58 as International Session (oral or poster) presentations. As every year, a Late-breaking Session will also be held, at which we can look forward to the very latest presentations to catch the attention of urologists.

In what I believe is the first such attempt in any conference, together with this Program we have also produced the 109th JUA Strategy Guide. Its aims are to convey the organizers’ intentions, to help participants in their planning, and to provide a record of conference memories. I hope you will find it easy reading material and a useful companion that enables you to enjoy the Annual Meeting at your leisure.

We are making every effort to put together a worthwhile Annual Meeting. I, my colleagues in my department, and the members of the Keio Urology Alumni Association are all looking forward to your participation, and I hope to see many of you there.

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