I’m honored to have the opportunity to invite you to the 7^th Annual Conference of the Japan Primary Care Association held in Asakusa, Tokyo.

　In 2017, a major reform of the system of medical specialists will be in implemented in Japan. The biggest change will be that general medicine will officially become the 19^th specialty. We take pride in the fact that this is the result of the Japan Primary Care Association’s collaboration with the family physician training program, which has been ongoing since the time of the three associations which were our forerunners —the Japanese Medical Society of Primary Care, the Japanese Academy of Family Medicine, and the Japanese Society of General Medicine.

　In Japan, specialization has been growing rapidly at the same time that technological innovation in medicine had progressed, and primary care physicians, who are getting attention lately, will be expected to be key persons in an aging society from this point on.

　Until now, Japan has been an underdeveloped country when it comes to the primary care field. With this change in the Japanese training system as a starting point, we’d like to lead medical reform overall and transform Japan into a developed country in this field — we recognize that this is our mission.

　To make it happen, we’ve been learning from experiences in this field from all over the world, connecting with associated people and gathering wisdom — we need to be primary care physicians who will truly be trusted by the people in this new era. We’d like to do our very best to make this event successful, and to make this opportunity a big step for the mission moving forward.

　So that our guests from different countries may enjoy attending, we have a few special things in store. Please join us at the conference to be held in Asakusa, known as a charming and traditional working-class neighborhood of Tokyo, and which we believe represents the theme of community.