Greetings

　It is my pleasure to preside over the 120th Annual Meeting of The Japanese Association for Psychiatry and Neurology in Sapporo. As of this writing, in the fall of 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic still continues, and the Russian military invasion of Ukraine is at a stalemate. In the meantime, we have come to realize that Japanese society is weeks behind the rest of the developed world in every respect, making us anxious about the future.
　Suicide is the most tragic consequence of mental health problems caused by distress from the social environment, personal history, and constitutional risk to individuals. In Japan, the total number of suicides increased for the first time in 10 years in 2020, when the spread of COVID-19 began in earnest, and has since fluctuated. The pandemic and social conditions threaten national and individual economies; many people have lost their jobs and students had to abandon their studies. Staying at home and social distancing, which were advocated for infection control, also increased the distance between people’s communication and human relationships. I believe, that those of us who are fortunate enough to maintain our profession as interpersonal support professionals, should not only strive to do our daily work in the face of these historical events but should also ask ourselves about the meaning of our existence and our roles. We must seriously consider how we should deal with the situation in our communities, with increasing number of people with mental health problems, mental illness, and suicide risks, and what we can do to reform our social system. Thus, I have chosen “In View of Practical Approaches to Future Psychiatry” as the theme of this annual meeting.
　Since 2002, I have been focusing on suicide prevention. This area, especially in clinical practice, is not waiting for us, and we cannot save lives unless we do what is practical and truly useful for the people concerned. My colleagues and I have been able to deepen our own medical skills and social activities by being aware of what is practical and truly useful. Neither medical practice and research, nor community activities will serve any purpose if we continue to do fluffy things without an agenda.
　The scope of mental health and psychiatric care is becoming increasingly broad and psychiatric research supports these activities. Research methods and content, as well as medical techniques, are becoming more sophisticated and segmented, which is reflected in the organization of the Society and the programs of recent annual meetings. It is necessary to address the challenges in advancing science. It can be especially difficult to make others understand where basic research is going during the process. Having worked in the field of biological psychiatry and in two top labs in the US and Europe, I am well aware of this situation. Nevertheless, at the 120th Annual Meeting, I would like to ask the participants to clearly describe their research orientation, why they remain committed to it, and what dreams they have for the future. The 120th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry will be a forum for discussing the question of where/how we should “advance and develop the science” of psychiatry in clinical practice and community mental health care. The format of the meeting will be based on face-to-face participation and discussion but will also be broadcast on demand, according to the recent state of the Annual Meetings.
　June is the rainy season with hot weather throughout Japan, except Hokkaido. We hope that you will spend a meaningful and fulfilling time in the cool and refreshing Sapporo, cooling your body and head. We further hope that the interactions among participants at this meeting will serve as a starting point for psychiatry in the near future.