Greetings from President

This year will mark the 88th annual meeting of the Japanese Society of Parasitology. Since the first meeting was held in 1929, the Society's aim has been to study, develop and disseminate research findings on parasites.
After World War II, due to the activity of previous Japanese researchers, the nation succeeded in eliminating major parasitic diseases such as Malaria, Filariasis, Japanese Schistosomiasis, etc. Recently, soil-transmitted helminth infections have also been declining to negligible levels as a Public Health issue.
Parasitic diseases are often thought of as "illnesses of the past", but when we look around the world there are many cases left without diagnosis or treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) takes this situation seriously, and in the last 10 years has advocated for the category of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). Currently 20 infectious diseases are listed, and considered most in need of priority measures.
Japan has a track record of eradicating parasitic diseases, and in the interest of contributing to future global parasite countermeasures asks "What is expected of us?".
Japan is not only an economically advanced country as a member of the G7, but also maintains high academic standards, including many international students. Japan is always interested in promoting advanced science, and parasitology is no exception. In order to meet the expectations of the world, we must constantly implement and disseminate knowledge and new and advanced technologies.
The theme of this year's meeting is “Frontline of Parasitology”. We sincerely hope that concentrating the most advanced information in the field from the basic to the clinical and the control of parasitic diseases will generate a great deal of debate and discussion.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in organizing this annual meeting. We eagerly await your participation.

The 88th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Parasitology
Kenji Hirayama, President
Dean, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University