Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Each spring, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society (JOS) holds its annual meeting, known as Nichigan in Japanese, in various areas around Japan. Nichigan is the largest and most influential conference of comprehensive ophthalmology in Japan. In 2012, we are expanding our horizons by introducing our 116th annual meeting to participants from abroad. The meeting will be held in the metropolis of Tokyo, a city well known for its international flair, from April 5-8, 2012.

Our theme for this conference is "Moving Beyond National Boundaries: Transnational Congress of the Japanese Ophthalmological Society." Now we are living in information society where medical developments and treatments are rapidly advancing, with the ability to spread the information among people very quickly. Likewise, our field of ophthalmology is equally progressing, necessitating more communication from a global perspective and an opportunity for Japanese to exchange cutting edge techniques and ideas with international ophthalmic specialists.

To develop a transnational communication and also build a global collaborative potential for the future of ophthalmology, 50 travel grants of USD$1,000 are being offered to attendees from overseas. For more information and eligibility, details may be viewed here. Please note that English interpretation will be provided at selected talks during the conference.

On behalf of JOS, I would like to invite both ophthalmic clinicians and basic scientists to join us for this unique and educational conference. We look forward to joining forces to share knowledge between Japanese and the ophthalmic community from all over the world.


Professor Kazuo Tsubota
President of the 116th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Ophthalmological Society