Greetings from the Congress President
The 80th General Meeting of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery
Yoshihiro Kakeji, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S.
Professor
Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of Surgery,
Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Kobe, Japan
It is with great honor that we host the 80th General Meeting of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery, to be held from Wednesday, July 16, to Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Kobe Convention Center in Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City. It is a privilege for the Department of Surgery at Kobe University to host this prestigious conference, following in the footsteps of our esteemed predecessors: Professor Takao Mitsuno for the 10th General Meeting in 1977, Professor Yoichi Saito for the 39th General Meeting in 1992, and Professor Yonson Ku for the 11th Annual Meeting in 2013. We are deeply grateful to the members of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery for entrusting us with this responsibility to continue the rich history and traditions of this esteemed society.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Emergence, more than the sum of its parts.” This biological term encapsulates the phenomenon whereby individual entities come together to form a collective that exhibits new and unprecedented characteristics—truly embodying the concept that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Life itself is a manifestation of emergence, and as surgeons who work collaboratively in team-based medical care, we hope that our coming together at this conference will spark the creation of new ideas and innovations.
In these times of great social transformation, it is essential that we, as surgeons, remain true to our calling by nurturing the next generation of aspiring professionals and evolving our surgical practices to meet contemporary demands. This conference aims to address the challenges faced by gastroenterological surgeons from multiple perspectives, incorporating fresh insights to shape and cultivate future directions for our field.
The year 2025 also coincides with the Osaka-Kansai Expo, promising a vibrant summer. Our conference will continue the tradition of being hosted in port cities, following the 77th meeting in Yokohama, the 78th in Hakodate, the 79th in Shimonoseki, and now, in Kobe. We envision this as a gathering where we can talk about dreams, challenge beyond borders, meet up and weave together aspirations that will connect us to the next generation. Surrounded by Kobe Port and the Rokko Mountains, Kobe offers a refreshing sea breeze even amidst the summer heat, and the city buzzes with life. I invite you to indulge in Kobe beef, taste the renowned Nada sake, enjoy Kobe sweets, and explore several sightseeing spots, such as, the Ijinkan, Chinatown, and Meriken Park.
Together with our faculty and alumni, we are wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that the 80th General Meeting of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery in 2025 will be a fruitful and memorable experience for all of you.
We eagerly await your presence in Kobe.