Mission

The tropics, the most ecologically diverse region on the Earth,presents an ongoing complexity of tropical diseases and other health problems. In view of the remarkable advances made in the field of international exchange in recent years, it is imperative that these problems be addressed from a global perspective.

Based on this understanding, the Institute of Tropical Medicine,Nagasaki University, aims to overcome tropical diseases, particularly infectious diseases, and the various health problems associated with them, in cooperation with related institutions, to strive for excellence in the following areas:

1. Spear-head research in tropical medicine and international health
2. Global contribution through disease control and health promotion in the tropics by applying the fruits of the research
3. Cultivation of the researchers and specialists in the above fields

Message from the Dean

"Bringing together the best of tropical medicine to tackle global health challenges"
 

Thank you for visiting the website of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University.

Our institute was established in 1942 as the Institute of East Asian Endemic Diseases, affiliated with Nagasaki Medical College. After the war, it was renamed the Institute of Endemic Diseases, and in 1967, it adopted its current name. For over 80 years since its founding, we have led research and education on tropical and infectious diseases as Japan’s only public research institute specializing in tropical medicine.

While our institute boasts a long history, we are currently at a major turning point. Domestically, in response to social shifts such as the declining birthrate, all university departments—including this institute—are required to undergo autonomous reforms to improve organizational structure and operational efficiency. Internationally, since the COVID-19 pandemic, research institutions are expected to go beyond the mere accumulation of knowledge; we are now called upon to rapidly provide scientific evidence in response to increasingly complex health crises and to lead the way in societal implementation. At the same time, returning to the essence of tropical medicine and further strengthening our core mission of resolving “health issues in tropical regions” remains a critical priority. Thus, our institute must evolve toward the future by responding to the demands of a new era while preserving our historical legacy.

1. Research: Evolving as a “Hub of Knowledge” and Reexamining Our Essence

   Currently, the Institute is deeply involved in large-scale infectious disease control projects, including the AMED SCARDA (Strategic Center of Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research and Development for Preparedness and Response) initiative, which focuses on the research and development of pharmaceuticals in preparation for the next pandemic. However, it is also a reality that tropical diseases have once again been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Precisely because we live in such times, we must constantly ask ourselves the fundamental question: “What research should our institute truly be committed to?”
   We must prepare for pandemics that significantly impact global economies and daily life, while simultaneously addressing infectious diseases prevalent in tropical regions—such as malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)—and other health issues that primarily affect the poor in low- and middle-income countries. We tackle these challenges through a broad interdisciplinary lens, ranging from cutting-edge life science research to community-based social science approaches. Furthermore, as a “Center of Excellence” in tropical medicine, we will promote research with a 10- to 20-year outlook. We will strengthen our bidirectional collaborative framework to connect laboratory discoveries with on-the-ground solutions more effectively than ever before, while feeding field observations back into the laboratory.

2. Education: Cultivating Leaders for the Next Generation

   The Institute organizes tropical medicine training programs for healthcare professionals—serving as a gateway to clinical practice—and collaborates with the Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Graduate School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) to train the next generation of researchers and practitioners. By bringing together students and young researchers from Japan and abroad in Nagasaki—supported by MEXT scholarships, JICA programs, private grants, and self-funding—we foster professionals capable of addressing a wide spectrum of issues, from global pandemic threats to regional health challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

3. International Expansion through Cooperation and Private-Sector Partnerships

   As a WHO Collaborating Centre for Research on Tropical and Emerging Viral Infections, and through partnerships with JICA and private companies such as Shionogi & Co., Ltd., the Institute contributes to global infectious disease control and the resolution of health issues in tropical regions.
   Furthermore, we have established education and research stations in Vietnam and Kenya, providing local facilities and administrative support for on-site research and human resource development. We are also expanding our reach to countries and regions without such bases through broad cooperative networks. Through these international collaborations and joint research initiatives, the Institute will further solidify its position as a core hub leading global tropical medicine research.

4. Looking Toward the Future

   In the late 1960s, as Japan experienced rapid economic growth and improved sanitary conditions, our predecessor—the Institute of Endemic Diseases—faced the threat of closure as domestic diseases like parasitic infections were eradicated. However, drawing on the wisdom of our predecessors, the Institute turned its gaze overseas, underwent organizational reform, and was reborn as the Institute of Tropical Medicine.
   Today, as climate change and global conflicts drive major transformations, we must continue to evolve. Following the path blazed by our predecessors, we will not fear change but will fearlessly pursue our “optimal state.” It is our hope that, by cherishing our “passion for tropical medicine,” we can continue to be an institute that is trusted and needed by the world.
   

We humbly ask for your continued support and cooperation in our research, educational activities, and international contributions.
Sincerely,

April 1, 2026

History

The Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University was originally founded in March 1942 as the East Asia Research Institute of Endemics, Nagasaki Medical College in order to perform basic and applied studies on endemic diseases in East Asia. At the beginning, most of its research activities were field studies conducted in mainland China by the Departments of Pathology, Bacteriology, Internal Medicine, and Dermatology of Nagasaki Medical College. August 9th, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped in Nagasaki, and the Institute's all the facilities and research materials were completely destroyed together with Medical School. Consequently, the development of the Institute and its research activities had lagged significantly behind.

In April, 1946, the Institute changed its name to the Research Institute of Endemics, Nagasaki Medical College, and moved to Isahaya City in May to resume research activities. Yet in accordance with the National School Establishment Law issued in May, 1949, the Institute once again changed its name to the Research Institute of Endemics, Nagasaki University. In 1957, the Institute was affected by another disaster of massive flooding, and its facilities, equipment, and research materials were severely damaged. Thus, construction of a new building started in Sakamoto, Nagasaki City in 1960, and the Institute moved to the building in April of the following year. The Institute's Departments, which were only two at the time, Pathology and Clinics, increased its number every year after 1963, including Epidemiology, Parasitology, and Virology. The Sakamoto building finished its first expansion at the end of 1966.

In June, 1967, with the partial alteration of the National School Establishment Law, the name of the Institute was changed for the third time to the present one to carry out basic and applied studies on tropical medicine. Around the same time, the Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, equipped with 20 beds, was opened in the University Hospital. In 1974, the Department of Bacteriology and the Reference Center were attached, and in 1978, the Department of Preventive Medicine, consisting mainly of visiting professors, associate professors, and researchers, and the Tropical Medicine Training Course were launched. In the ensuing year, the Infectious Animals Depriva-tion Experiment Laboratory was promoted to be-come the Animal research Center for Tropical Infections, and the second building expansion was concluded in March, 1980. In September, 1983, a JICA-sponsored group training program Tropical Medicine Research Course was opened, the Department of Protozoology was established a year after, and the third building extension was finished in July the year after that. Two years later, the Department of Medical Entomology was created and the Institute was reorganized into the collaborative institute in another two years. In 1991, the Department of Biochemistry was added, and the fourth building expansion was ended in March, 1994. In April, 1994, the Institute was divided into three big Divisions, Tropical Microbiology, Pathogenesis and Clinical Sciences, and Environmental Medicine, with the establishment of two new research Departments, Thermal Adaptation and Social Environment, which have expanded to 12 Departments at present. The Institute was desig-nated as Center of Excell-ence in the forefront of scientific research in 1995, and a new research Department, Molecular Epide-miology, was established under the Research Field of Microbiology in 1996 to invite overseas visiting professors. In 1997, the Reference Room for the Tropical Medicine was replaced by the Tropical Disease Information and Reference Center, and it was again succeeded by the Research Center for Tropical Infectious Disease in 2001. In March, 2003, when the Sakamoto build-ing finalized its fifth expansion, its extension work of almost 40 years came to an end. In March, 2006, the main building's repair work was completed. In April, 2008, the Research Center for Tropical Infectious Disease for the Tropical Medicine was replaced by the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Asia and Africa and Tropical Medicine Museum. In June, 2009, the institute was authorized as the Collaborative Research Center on Tropical Disease by the Ministry of Education. More recently, two additional depatments on clinical medicine, i.e., pediatric infectious diseases and clinical pharmaceutical science, were admitted for installation.

In June, 2013, the Animal Research Center for Tropical Infections was closed.

Deans of the Institute

East Asian Research Institute of Endemics

Susumu Tsunoo

May. 4, 1942 - Aug. 22, 1945

Kohei Koyano

Dec. 22, 1945 - Jan. 23, 1948

Kiyoshi Takase

Jan. 24, 1948 - Aug. 31, 1948

Noboru Tokura

Sept. 1, 1948 - May. 30, 1949

Research Institute of Endemics

Noboru Tokura

May. 31, 1949 - Aug. 31, 1958

Nanzaburo Omori

Sept. 1, 1958 - Nov. 30, 1963

Hideo Fukumi

Dec. 1, 1963 - May. 31, 1967

Institute of Tropical Medicine

Hideo Fukumi

June. 1, 1967 - Nov. 30, 1969

Daisuke Katamine

Dec. 1, 1969 - Nov. 30, 1973

Kaoru Hayashi

Dec. 1, 1973 - Nov. 30, 1977

Tatsuro Naito

Dec. 1, 1977 - Nov. 30, 1979

Daisuke Katamine

Dec. 1, 1979 - Apr. 1, 1981

Keizo Matsumoto

Apr. 2, 1981 - Apr. 1, 1991

Hideyo Itakura

Apr. 2, 1991 - Apr. 1, 1993

Mitsuo Kosaka

Apr. 2, 1993 - Apr. 1, 1997

Akira Igarashi

Apr. 2, 1997 - May. 31, 2001

Yoshiki Aoki

Apr. 1, 2001 - Mar. 31, 2007

Kenji Hirayama

Apr. 1, 2007 - Mar. 31, 2011

Tsutomu Takeuchi

Apr. 1, 2011 - Mar. 31, 2013

Kouichi Morita

Apr. 1, 2013 - Mar. 31, 2017

Kenji Hirayama

Apr. 1, 2017 - Mar. 31, 2019

Kouichi Morita

Apr. 1, 2019 - Mar. 31, 2022

Osamu Kaneko

Apr. 1, 2022 - Mar. 31, 2026

Satoshi Kaneko

Apr. 1, 2026 - Up to the present

Organization

Steering Council Member

• Shigeyuki Kano( National Institute of Global Health and Medicine )
• Yasuhiko Suzuki( Hokkaido University )
• Shinichiro Kawazu( Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine )
• Kazuya Ikematsu( Nagasaki University )
• Jun Kawakami( Nagasaki University )
• Kiyoshi Kita( Nagasaki University )
• Chiho Watanabe( Nagasaki University )
• Masahiro Nakashima( Nagasaki University )

Directions

for the campus

From Nagasaki Station (JR Kyushu)

• Streetcar [ for Akasako, Line 1or 3 ]
  Get on at Nagasakieki-mae. > Get off at Atomic Bomb Museum. > Ten minutes walk.
• Nagasaki Bus [ Line 8 ]
  Get on at Nagasakieki-mae. > Get off at Igakubu-mae. > Five minutes walk

From Urakami Station (JR Kyushu)

• Streetcar [ for Akasako, Line 1or 3 ]
  Get on at Urakamieki-mae. > Get off at Atomic Bomb Museum. > Ten minutes walk.

From Nagasaki Airport

• Limousinebus [ for Nagasaki, by way of Showa-machi, Sumiyoshi ]
  Get off at Nagasakieki-mae, and then continue to "From Nagasaki Station". About one hour by taxi from the airport.

Campus Map