The 34th Annual Research Meeting of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association will be held at Pacifico Yokohama on October 17 and 18, 2019. For the first time in 15 years, since when Shin-ichi Kikuchi hosted it as the 19th congress president, Fukushima Medical University is organizing the meeting.
I am deeply grateful to all of you and extremely honored to be able to convene this meeting during 2019, a milestone year during which the Japanese era name will change.

The Japanese Orthopaedic Association’s Annual Research Meeting provides an opportunity to discuss progress in basic technologies and clinical applications in the area of orthopaedic surgery. We’ve chosen “Uniting Basic and Clinical Science” as the main theme for this year’s meeting. I’m looking forward to seeing some lively discussions led primarily by young physicians who will be responsible for the next generation of basic technology and clinical practice so that we can bring some of basic technologies in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, where there has been remarkable progress in recent years, into clinical settings.

The meeting will be held in Yokohama, a port city that is marking the 160th anniversary of its opening to foreign countries. We plan to invite prominent researchers from Japan and abroad to deliver guest talks and special lectures touching on the latest research in musculoskeletal disorders
in both the East and West. It is our expectation that the meeting will reproduce some of the exciting dynamism that characterized Yokohama when it was opened to foreign countries.

We’re also planning to offer guests opportunities to enjoy the local character of Fukushima at association events and parties. I’m looking forward to seeing as many participants as possible there.