It is my great honor to host the 99th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association at the Yonago Convention Center and Yonago Culture Hall in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture. My name is Yoshiyuki Fujiwara, Professor of Gastroenterological and Pediatric Surgery at Tottori University Faculty of Medicine. I am truly grateful for the privilege of presiding over this prestigious and historically significant meeting.

This is the first time in 23 years that the meeting will be held in Yonago, since it was last chaired in 2004 by my predecessor, the late Professor Nobuaki Kaibara. Many of you may recall that the previous meeting was held in early March and was affected by heavy snowfall. For this reason, the present meeting is scheduled for March 25–27, during a calmer season when signs of spring begin to appear in the San’in region.

Yonago is a scenic city embraced by the Chugoku Mountains and the Sea of Japan. It offers an abundance of fresh seafood and mountain delicacies, warm-hearted local hospitality, and the historic Kaike Hot Springs located just 20 minutes by car from the venue. We sincerely hope that all participants will take this opportunity to enjoy the many charms of our region.

The theme of this year’s meeting, “One for All, All for Gastric Cancer,” expresses our strong desire for all specialists involved in gastric cancer—each with their own knowledge, skills, and passion—to unite their strengths and work collaboratively toward conquering this disease.

Gastric cancer care has advanced remarkably in recent years, with treatments becoming increasingly sophisticated and specialized. At the same time, the incidence of gastric cancer continues to decline epidemiologically, creating new challenges such as reduced opportunities for training young physicians and fewer clinical cases in regional medical settings. The Japanese Gastric Cancer Association has launched an institutional accreditation system and is progressing with discussions regarding a specialist certification system. Along with these efforts, we believe that interdisciplinary collaboration and the establishment of sustainable learning environments will become even more crucial.

For these reasons, we strongly hope that physicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals from across the country who share a passion for gastric cancer will gather in Yonago to “bring together collective knowledge and shape the future of gastric cancer care.”

We have invited distinguished speakers from diverse fields who are leading experts in their respective domains.

We hope that exposure to knowledge beyond the medical field will spark new ideas and learning for all participants.

During the meeting, we also encourage you to enjoy the local cuisine and sake that Yonago has to offer, as well as meaningful discussions, deep dialogue, and new encounters.

Our department is preparing for this meeting with the utmost sincerity. We warmly invite you to bring your colleagues and join us in Yonago. We look forward to welcoming many participants.