The 50th Memorial Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (JSCN) will be held for three days from Thursday, November 26th, 2020 to Saturday, November 28th, 2020 at the Kyoto International Conference Center. In conjunction with the Annual Meeting, the 56th Japan Clinical Neurophysiological Society Technical Seminar will be held from Friday, November 27th to Saturday, November 28th. It is a great honor to be organizing the 50th Memorial Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (JSCN), a society with a long history and tradition. The Society is originated from the Japanese Society of Electroencephalography and Electromyography that was founded in 1971 with the integration of the Japanese Society for Electroencephalography and the Japanese Society for Electromyography. In 2000, the Society was renamed the Japanese Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (JSCN) in order to engage in discussions spanning a broader range of fields. It is a recognized fact that the Society has contributed greatly to the development of new technologies and the identification of the origin of recorded waveforms through electrophysiological methods as a only mean to evaluate the function of the nervous system. We have provided a rare environment and opportunity for individual researchers, connected through the keywords of neurology and electrophysiology, to engage in multidisciplinary discussions across clinical specialties, contributing to their advancement. Related departments span an extremely wide range including neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation medicine, pediatrics, otorhinolaryngology, anesthesiology, clinical psychology, and clinical laboratory medicine, and there are instances where the same phenomenon may be perceived in very different ways depending on specialized departments. Therefore, our members spur each other on to greater heights through friendly competition, making advances in research.

The theme of this Meeting is “Reflecting on 50 Years of Clinical Neurophysiology—and for the Future—.” This year marks a milestone for the Society, which is celebrating 50 years in its current form. It was made possible through the unfaltering efforts of our many great predecessors, and the fact that we have accumulated world-leading research results in various fields related to electrophysiology is attracting international attention. As we celebrate this milestone year, we intend to make this an opportunity for our current members to reflect on the history of this Society, learning about the past to connect it to further future advancement.

In order to increase the number of researchers participating in JSCN, we have created a new program. This is a joint symposium with related academic societies. JSCN members hail from many umbrella societies, and are also affiliated with many related academic societies depending on their fields. Many of the researchers who are active in the related academic societies are not aware of the existence of JSCN, but many of them are in fact conducting research that is in some small way related to JSCN. Given this, for the future advancement of JSCN, we intend to conduct a joint symposium with each related academic society on interdisciplinary themes that had never addressed by JSCN, in order to make these researchers aware of JSCN. We would like them to have opportunities for presenting their research and discussing their work to develop JSCN for future. At present, we are planning on addressing around 20 themes and are in the process of coordinating with each related academic society. We hope that JSCN members will express an interest in this joint symposium and advance their own research through participation in discussions.

As we will be newly introducing this symposium, and there is the possibility that it will draw participants who had never joined in JSCN, this year’s Meeting will focus particularly on education. Specifically, we will be consolidating three seminars that we currently offer once yearly, the Electromyography Seminar, Advanced Electroencephalography Seminar, and the Cerebrospinal Intraoperative Monitoring Seminar, into approximately half a day, and offering them mainly for beginners during the Meeting. Seminar rooms are also being secured for around 20 hands-on seminars. We look forward to hearing your suggestions and proposals. The popular basic and advanced lectures that we offer every year will be further enhanced and improved to cover a wide range of fields.

In terms of events to mark the 50th Memorial Annual Meeting, the first day of the Meeting will feature a symposium by the President of the JSCN, and the second day is scheduled to feature a symposium on the clinical application of iPS cells reproducing the research results of Nobel laureate Professor Shinya Nakayama of Kyoto University. Leading experts on spinal cord regeneration, Parkinson’s disease treatment, corneal regeneration, and myocardial regeneration are scheduled to participate and discuss the future of iPS medicine in Japan. In addition, a memorial journal is currently being prepared by the JSCN 50th Anniversary Memorial Project Committee, and panels that reflect on the history of the JSCN to be displayed during the Meeting will be created in cooperation with the Committee and will be displayed in the poster venue and break room. We hope that JSCN members will take an interest in these panels and reflect on the long history of JSCN.

I have been appointed chairperson of the 7th ISIN (International Society of Intraoperative Neurophysiology), an international conference on intraoperative monitoring, which is one of my specialities, and the conference will be held simultaneously. Many researchers from overseas are scheduled to participate, and JSCN will also create an English website, accepting presentations from overseas, and running one of the venues for English session. We are also considering offering a special rate for participants to participate both this international conference and the Meeting.

JSCN currently has approximately 3700 members, and this year’s general meeting is a perfect opportunity for current members to reflect on the history of the Society.　We hope that all of our members will gather in Kyoto, and that it will serve as an opportunity to raise awareness of JSCN activities both internally and externally. It also happens that this is the best time of year for sightseeing in Kyoto. The mountains and temples will boast the stunning colors of autumn, offering the perfect opportunity to enjoy the traditional beauty of Japan. We have secured enough accommodations, and we would like JSCN members to participate in this 50th Memorial Annual Meeting in Kyoto. We hope that it will serve as an opportunity to enhance knowledge and education.

I myself, coming from an orthopedics background, am extremely honored and humbled to serve as organizer of this Memorial Annual Meeting. I have asked many JSCN representatives including experts in neurology and psychiatry to assist in the running of the Annual Meeting from early on and to support my knowledge, and they have graciously offered their services regardless of their specialized department. In addition, out of a desire to make an enjoyable, educational Annual Meeting that will contribute to later research, I have enlisted the help of the medical staff and the entire Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kansai Medical University. Our motto is “calling all members!” I hope that all members, including our honorary members, directors, and delegates will invite non-member physicians and participate, experience this historical moment for JSCN together as witnesses, and embark upon new start for the next 50 years.

Finally, I would like to conclude my remarks as Chairman of this Meeting with my sincere wishes for the advancement of all JSCN members and the future enhancement of this Society. Our motto is “calling all members!” I look forward to seeing many JSCN members in Kyoto this November.