Hisashi Masuyama, M.D., Ph.D.
Congress President,
The 77th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine,
Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University

We are pleased to announce that the 77th Annual Congress of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) will be held for three days from May 23 (Friday) to 25 (Sunday), 2025 at the Okayama Convention Center, which is directly accessible from JR Okayama Station. Considering the post-COVID-19 social situation, we are going to organize this Annual Congress in a hybrid format, combining in-person sessions with on-demand streaming.

Established in 1888, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Okayama University has a history of over 130 years. I am the 13th professor of the department and this is the fifth time for our department to have the honor of hosting the JSOG Annual Congress after an interval of 13 years, following the 4th Annual Congress presided over by Professor Hideo Yagi in 1952, the 24th Annual Congress by Professor Kiyoshi Hashimoto in 1972, the 41st Annual Congress by Professor Kaoru Sekiba in 1989, and the 64th Annual Congress by Professor Yuji Hiramatsu in 2012. The last time the JSOG Annual Congress was held in Okayama was the 41st congress in 1989, which means the congress is returning to Okayama after 36 years.

The theme of the forthcoming Annual Congress is “Fueki Ryuko,” a philosophy advocated by Matsuo Basho, a renowned haiku poet of the 17th century, which means “immutability and fluidity” or “valuing essential things that remain eternally unchanged while proactively accepting new changes to pass on to the next generation.” This is also the guiding principle of my department. We are living in an era of drastic social upheaval amid the rapid progress of obstetric and gynecological science and treatment, coupled with various social changes such as the post-COVID-19 situation and work-style reform. Against this background, we recognize the importance of managing the flood of information from a comprehensive perspective to identify the needs of the next generation, without losing sight of the essential aspects that must be preserved. This is the basic principle we adhere to in developing various programs.

We believe the most important role of the JSOG Annual Congress is to offer a venue for physicians of all ages from young resident doctors to experienced specialists, to gather together annually from all over Japan, and learn and network with each other across different subspecialties, while interacting with board members of many foreign scientific societies and young doctors affiliated with them. We have crafted a diverse program for this Annual Congress, reflecting the wide-ranging roles of the JSOG. In the field of clinical practice, we will organize sessions to learn about foreign medical practices in addition to cutting-edge and standard medical care from various angles, while offering diverse training opportunities, ranging from training for resident doctors to life-long training. In the field of research, we will offer opportunities to directly learn from the latest research data and engage in discussions via two open symposiums and many other presentations. In the field of education, I will present a presidential symposium on education and research in my capacity as Chairperson of the Education Committee of the JSOG, along with various other sessions and hands-on seminars. We will also arrange various attractive opportunities such as seminars and workshops for medical students and junior resident doctors, as well as lectures not only on obstetrics and gynecology but also on general medical and healthcare topics. I am confident that all of these will make the forthcoming congress interesting and fruitful.

While we will make as many of these fascinating sessions available for on-demand streaming as possible, we hope you will find the time to attend the forthcoming JSOG Annual Congress in person to meet many JSOG members face-to-face, and talk, learn and enjoy time with each other, taking advantage of the exciting opportunities to deepen existing friendships and foster new ones. All the members of our department and alumni association are working to prepare for the Annual Congress to welcome participants in a manner unique to Okayama, a regional city, and make it a memorable event. Okayama has many attractive tourist spots, such as Okayama Korakuen Garden, Okayama Castle, the Kurashiki Bikan historical quarter, and Ohara Museum of Art. We hope you will have time to visit these attractions during the congress period and enjoy beautiful spring days in Okayama. We very much look forward to your participation in the JSOG Annual Congress in Okayama.