From the desk of the President
I am Hidenori Ichijo of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo. With today’s approval of the General Meeting, I will serve as President of the Japanese Biochemical Society.
In the olden days, biochemistry was a leading field of study in which the most talented people in the life sciences competed fiercely and in friendly rivalry. Today, of course, the competition is not as intense as it used to be, but it is still the most basic and cutting-edge science that is indispensable for understanding, protecting, and nurturing our LIFE.
On the other hand, the number of biochemists who call themselves biochemists is somewhat decreasing, perhaps because of the increasing diversity that has accompanied the development of life sciences. Although I myself still cannot say that I have mastered biochemistry, I have a strong feeling that without full use of biochemistry, we will never be able to truly understand the science of life.
In recent years, there has been a strong demand for practical use and application of results as outputs, and I think there is a tendency to skip over the molecular mechanisms in the body and pursue only the relationship between easy-to-understand inputs and outputs, and to think that one day one will come to know the mechanisms of life only by doing so.
During my two years as President, I would like to contribute to the development of our society with the most important mission of conveying to young researchers who are seriously pursuing life science the “fascination of molecular mechanisms” and the “importance of biochemistry” in unraveling them, and the “excellence of the Japanese Biochemical Society as the largest and most advanced community” in this field.
The most distinctive feature of the conference is that there are many opportunities for young researchers to give oral presentations, and we actively hold international conferences such as IUBMB and FAOBMB, as well as joint conferences with related societies such as the Molecular Biology Society of Japan. The Japanese Biochemical Society consists of eight branches throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and each branch elects its own directors to ensure that local issues and opinions are directly reflected in the Society’s headquarters. In addition to various awards and grants, such as the “JBS Incentive Award,” the “Samuro Kakiuchi Memorial Award,” and the “JBS Bio Frontier Symposium,” the “Osamu Hayaishi Memorial Grant for Overseas Study” is a very well-developed support system for studying abroad. The JBS also publishes online the traditional Japanese journal “Biochemistry” and the original English journal “Journal of Biochemistry”, which enables the JBS to build a close community as a Japanese journal and to disseminate information in a timely and wide-ranging manner as an international journal.
The Japanese Biochemical Society will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. The further evolution of the society is essential for the development of life sciences in the world, as it has continued to support Japanese life sciences and will continue to be a venue for cutting-edge international researchers to gather.
We are faced with many old and new issues, such as the finances of the society and the ratio of female researchers. Nevertheless, with the help of our members, we will try to solve various problems. I will do my best for the great development of our society, which has been built up by many respected predecessors. I look forward to your guidance and encouragement.
November 17th, 2021
Hidenori Ichijo
President of the Japanese Biochemical Society
