Dear Members,

It has been a year since I was appointed the chairman of the ORL Society of Japan. We have completed many significant tasks during this year, and the directors and committee members have handled each matter carefully so we have been able to run the society smoothly without any serious errors. I greatly appreciate all of your support.

In my last message in June 2015, I described the society's general impression as being "aged" and "gloomy," and I decided to aim for a "fresher" and "brighter" society. In this regard, I am confident that we have taken a step closer to the realization of this goal. We only heard the opinions of a few directors at the beginning of this term, but now all the directors feel free to speak out and to give their opinions, with the result that the board is becoming more lively. I have also pointed out that the improvement of academic seminars is necessary, as this might be one of the reasons for the outdated impression. In particular, I proposed that we convene seminars that would be attractive even for young members. This past January, I mentioned the importance of an annual spring academic seminar of the ORL and the need to strive to make a fulfilling meeting for all participants, and I asked you to join our great projects held in the May seminar.
Regarding the holding of seminars, the scientific committee reconsidered the outdated "Regulations and Rules for General Meetings and Academic Seminars" and reported the new "Rules for General Meetings and Academic Seminars." In accordance with this change, Prof. Kaoru Ogawa, the President of the spring seminar, proposed a number of fruitful ideas after much consideration. As a result, we had over 5,700 participants, representing nearly half of our members. The preparation of the next general meeting in Nagoya has already been started. I guarantee the continued improvement and success of our meetings, and you are always invited.

It will not be long before a revision of "Aims to Become an Otorhinolaryngologist" will be published. Thanks to our new Committee of Education before Graduation, it will be possible to issue this copy with new and unique content. I believe that it will help to generate interest among many residents and students of Otorhinolaryngology.
A certification examination of medical specialists will be held shortly. This examination once required a lengthy period of time before the results were announced, and even this year, a delay until October was expected, which is two months after the exam. However, with the cooperation of the directors, we have enabled the process to be shortened, and we should be able to announce the results in the middle of August, just two weeks after the exam. I am hoping that this progress will provide a positive influence on the training of young members.
I am aware that the new training system for medical specialists has recently been the primary concern of most members. Our Committee of Training System for Medical Specialists is working as one on this topic, yet a critical issue regarding the insecure position of the Japanese Medical Specialty Board remains. We are now working as best we can to achieve our prompt resolution of this matter, and we would like to ask for your kind understanding.
As you can see, our ORL Society still needs to face various tasks. I promise you that for the rest of my term, I will continue to strive to advance our ORL Society. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members and staff for their positive responses and their support of the ORL Society to achieve greater performance heights throughout the coming year.

Best wishes,

Yasuo Hisa, MD, PhD
Chairman, Board of Directors
The Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan, Inc.

(July 24^th, 2015)