It is a great honor to host the 54th Annual Congress of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons (JSPS) in Sendai in May, 2017. This will be the third JSPS Congress in Sendai, following the 7th Congress under Professor Morio Kasai and the 36th Congress under Professor Ryoji Ohi. We last welcomed you to Sendai 18 years ago, at the 36th Congress in 1999. This is a very special moment for us.
We have selected “Love your small patients” as the theme of this Congress. The concept of the Congress is to consider what is important and what must be done first in order to bring back the smiles as quickly as possible to the faces of our small patients, and to allow pediatric surgeons to work with pride, passion and sense of accomplishment.

In addition, as a part of the Congress’ international session, we have planned an International Sendai Symposium on Biliary Atresia. This will be the seventh meeting of the Symposium, which began in 1972 under Professor Kasai, who passed it on to his successor Professor Ohi. It has not been held for 21 years, sin ce 1996, so younger surgeons may be less familiar with it, but experienced doctors are likely to remember it fondly. It would be our great pleasure if many researchers attend the Symposium and new knowledge on biliary atresia is presented to the world from Sendai, again.
Sendai suffered a major earthquake disaster in 2011, and we received great support and sympathy from a lot of members and colleagues all over the world. I would like to thank you again for all the help on that occasion. Currently central Sendai has regained its pre-earthquake vitality or even surpassed it, and we are convinced that you will enjoy the Congress and the most beautiful season in the city of Sendai to the fullest.

However, as you may know, it is also true that the recovery of the Pacific coast of north-eastern Japan and the area around the damaged nuclear pow er plant in Fukushima has not proceeded well so far. I hope that, if time permits, you will also visit the afflicted areas, confirm their situation, continue to provide sympathy and support for further recovery, and think about what we should do now for the future.

With the full cooperation of the Board of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons, we are preparing a fruitful and enjoyable Congress. We hope that it will serve to bring you the greatest satisfaction. I look forward very much to welcoming you to Sendai.

Masaki Nio, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pediatric
Surgery Tohoku University
Graduate School of Medicine

Chairman, 54th Annual Congress of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Surgeons
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Reproductive and Developmental Medicine

Check the Brochure here

Visit the Congress Website here