Message from the Chairperson of the Executive Committee

The 2024 Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (JSBBA)
Kazushige TOUHARA, Chairperson of the 2024 Annual Meeting Executive Committee

The Japan Society of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024. Its first president was Dr. Umetaro Suzuki, the discoverer of vitamin B1, and the society has developed as the largest gathering of researchers who promote basic agricultural chemistry research that contributes to society in the fusion field of chemistry and biology. Currently, global-scale issues such as SDGs are being addressed, and it is no exaggeration to say that the field of agricultural chemistry has been one of the first to tackle such issues.

Before the opening of the 2024 congress, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Society, a commemorative ceremony will first be held on March 23, 2024, at the Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo. The main conference will be held at Tokyo University of Agriculture on March 24-27. Over the past several years, the society has been engaged in various activities for its 100th anniversary, including the Visionary NOUGEIKAGAKU 100 Symposium and the Symposium on Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and this conference will be the culmination of these activities, basically a face-to-face conference as we enter the era of With Corona. We are also planning an exhibition on the 100-year history of agricultural chemistry that will be simultaneously held at the museum on the Komaba Campus.

The concept of this congress is to “look back on the past 100 years and think about the next 100 years” in the field of agricultural chemistry, and we are preparing for the planning of the convention in the spirit of “learning from the past”. As in past congresses, we will have general oral presentations, which is one of the selling points of our society. In addition, a “Symposium looking back on the past 100 years” in which the “legends” of agricultural chemistry will talk about the past 100 years (the ceremony will focus on the transition and history of the society and the main conference will focus on research on the first day), and a “Symposium considering the next 100 years” in which young active members will talk about the next 100 years, will be held. Educational lectures that give a bird’s eye view of the discipline of agricultural chemistry will be planned each morning along with light refreshments.

The biggest selling point of the conference will be a social gathering where participants can enjoy the secondary functions of food and talk with each other while eating and drinking, which is appropriate for our society with “food” as its keyword. We will taste Japanese wines and Sake together with brewers from the agricultural chemistry field, and enjoy dishes that “marry” these wines and sake. We will not hold a classic get-together, but will provide a new style of “place for dialogue” that is in tune with the With Corona era. Also, please look forward to a new program to “experiencing output products in agricultural chemistry”.

All of the organizing committee members will do their best to prepare the commemorative conference in the hope that it will be a few days of discussion about the enjoyment and future of the field of agricultural chemistry, a discipline closely linked to our daily lives. We invite researchers from other fields to join us and participate with our students, and we hope to see you face to face.