Greeting

As of April 2026, I, Yasuhiko Nishioka of Tokushima University, have been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Respiratory Society.
The Japanese Respiratory Society was established in 1961 as The Japan Society for Diseases of the Chest. It was renamed the Japanese Respiratory Society in 1997, and this year marks its 65th anniversary as a long-established academic society. The number of members has also increased year by year, becoming a large academic society with 13,703 members in 2026. As the 24th president of the Japan Respiratory Society, I feel more determined to take on this heavy responsibility.

The Japanese Respiratory Society established its mission and vision in 2019, clarifying the role to be played as a Society.

Mission

"We contribute to the advancement of innovative and original research in respiratory medicine, the dissemination of knowledge, and, through collaboration with society, the improvement of respiratory healthcare, as well as the development of academia and culture, along with the promotion of health and welfare."

Vision

"We aim for a world in which lung diseases are prevented and curable."

Under this mission and vision, we have established the following seven action goals:

• Core Value: Provide safe and high-quality patient-centered medical care.
• Science & Research: Promote advanced and original research.
• Education: Promote the dissemination of knowledge and the development of the next generation.
• Team-Based Medicine: Advance multidisciplinary team-based care and bring together all available expertise.
• Social Collaboration: Strengthen cooperation with relevant organizations in Japan and abroad.
• Code of Conduct: Act with high ethical standards and strive to enhance professional expertise.
• Society Management: An organization that is open to academic members and society and can fulfill social responsibilities.

Respiratory diseases are a very diverse group of illnesses. These include infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and pneumonia; allergic diseases such as asthma; neoplastic diseases such as lung cancer; COPD, one of the lifestyle-related diseases targeted under "Health Japan 21"; and interstitial lung diseases, which are of increasing social impact. Each of these occupy central positions within their respective fields. To address this wide range of diverse and important diseases, the Japanese Respiratory Society has established 10 specialized academic assemblies covering each field, which is a distinctive feature of our Society and supports its broad range of activities. However, the continued enhancement of these efforts requires the involvement and contributions of many physicians, researchers, and healthcare staff. I sincerely hope that many young physicians and medical staff will empathize with the activities of the Japanese Respiratory Society and choose to participate in them.

The Japanese Respiratory Society aims to be an academic society where many young physicians can gather and engage in mutual learning and growth, contribute to the advancement of respiratory medicine, promote public health through its activities, and serve the society at large.

We appreciate your guidance and support.

Yasuhiko Nishioka, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences,
Tokushima University