In June 2019, the foundation changed its name from “Japan Bifidus Foundation (JBF)” to “The Intestinal Microbiology Society (IMS)”. JBF was established in 1981 to conduct research and development relating to the interaction between the host and intestinal microflora including bifidobacteria. IMS will continue this philosophy and direction in the future.
The interaction between the biological host and microorganisms is globally one of the most significant research issues, a multidisciplinary field including life sciences. In recent years, importance of intestinal microflora has attracted much attention as an element of the host’s internal environment. The meaning of interactions between intestinal microflora and body immunity, nerves and endocrine function, and the pathogenesis ascribed to the modulation of these factors and symbioses in the host does not indicate mere biological phenomenon, but gather the interest of people as wisdom of human behavior and function.
IMS collects and provides as a wide range of information in the field of intestinal microflora. It also organizes scientific meetings, publishes scientific journals and brochures, sponsors other activities in order to contribute to the progress and promulgation of research in the field of intestinal microflora, and promotes public welfare in the world.
The Intestinal Microbiology Society (IMS), formerly known as the Japan Bifidus Foundation, has now reached its 45th year since establishment. I am honored to serve as its sixth President, following a distinguished line of predecessors beginning with our founding President, Dr. Naosi Honma.
The Japan Bifidus Foundation was established in 1981 on the basis of the “Research Society on the Promotion of Bifidobacterium in the Intestine,” which was launched in 1971. The Foundation was founded with the mission of promoting pioneering and innovative research on Bifidobacterium and the interactions between the intestinal microbiota and the host. Through activities such as collecting and disseminating scientific information, organizing academic meetings, and publishing scholarly journals, the Foundation has sought to advance research in this field, promote its dissemination, and contribute to the development of science and the welfare of humankind.
Research on the intestinal microbiota has flourished dramatically in the twenty-first century, particularly with the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies and the widespread application of metagenomic analyses. While the importance of Bifidobacterium remains unquestionable, researchers around the world are now pursuing a wide variety of studies encompassing diverse aspects of the intestinal microbiota, and the field continues to expand rapidly.
As the scope and diversity of intestinal microbiota research have broadened, the discrepancy between the Foundation’s name and those of its major academic activities became increasingly apparent. Our annual scientific meeting had long been known as the “Intestinal Microbiology Society” and our official journal as the “Journal of Intestinal Microbiology.” Following extensive discussions under the leadership of my predecessor, Dr. Hiroshi Kiyono, the Foundation was therefore renamed “Intestinal Microbiology Society” in 2019.
The history, background, and activities of our organization are described in detail in Dr. Rintaro Nakatani’s commemorative article, The History of the Japan Bifidus Foundation: Celebrating Its 25th Anniversary, as well as in Dr. Hiroshi Kiyono’s farewell message upon stepping down as President. I encourage those interested to consult these valuable accounts, although these articles are in Japanese.
During Dr. Kiyono’s presidency, fixed terms and retirement rules for the board members and executives of the Society were introduced for the first time in our history. Consequently, not only Dr. Kiyono but also several long-serving Executive Directors retired from their positions, including Vice President Dr. Shigeru Kamiya and Executive Directors Drs. Toshifumi Okusa and Shizunobu Igimi. In addition, Drs. Norio Ishibashi and Yoshinori Umezaki, the Administrative Leadership members, who had provided invaluable day-to-day administrative support to the Society for many years, also retired from their posts.
Following these transitions, Dr. Koji Hase was appointed as the Vice President. Joining Executive Director Dr. Kazuhiro Hirayama are Drs. Nobuhiko Okada, Reiko Shinkura, and Kyoko Takahashi. In the Administrative Leadership members, Dr. Norihiro Sashihara continues his service, while Drs. Yasushi Kawaguchi and Mitsuhisa Kawai have newly joined as Administrative Secretary Generals.
Together with this new executive team and our dedicated secretariat staffs, Mr. Takashi Hirota and Ms. Shiho Takematsu, I am committed to building upon the proud legacy established by Dr. Kiyono and all former Presidents and officers of the Japan Bifidus Foundation and the Intestinal Microbiology Society. Although my own contribution may be modest, I will devote my utmost efforts to further advancing our Society and making it an even more vibrant and valuable academic community.
I sincerely ask for the continued support and encouragement of all our members and stakeholders as we work together toward these goals.
Sincerely,
President
The Intestinal Microbiology Society
At the beginning of the first symposium commemorating Bioscience of Microbiota, Food and Health (BMFH), an academic journal in English edited through cooperation among the Japan Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria, Japanese Association for Food Immunology, and Japan Bifidus Foundation, I would like to make an opening remark, on behalf of the three societies.
The journal was initially issued in January 2012, with a view to promoting efficiency in the publication of English papers, which had been published by individual societies independently up until that time, by integrating them. Since June 2014, it has also been listed in PMC (PubMed Central), and preparatory procedures to achieve an Impact Factor are currently being proceeded with.
I recognize that the research activities of the Japan Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria, Japanese Association for Food Immunology, and Annual Meeting of Intestinal Microbiology (Japan Bifidus Foundation) as academic societies involved with BMFH contribute to science and industry on a global basis. For health maintenance and disease control through microorganisms, immune cells, foods, and other sources of nutrition, comprising and involved in the control of the intestinal ecosystem, the three societies expand research activities from multiple viewpoints, covering microbiology, physiology, immunology, pathology, nutritional neuroscience, and other domains. The outcomes of such activities are expected to greatly contribute to the maintenance and promotion of human health. To achieve the societies’ common goals, the promotion of integrative research through collaboration not only among them, but also with related and dissimilar academic fields will be increasingly needed. Therefore, even for domestic societies like us, it is necessary to develop academic and research activities from more global perspectives, report research outcomes at the international level, and contribute to the development of the relevant research areas in other countries. In this respect, BMFH that integrates such areas may be of marked significance.
Regarding the circumstances that led to holding this symposium, IPEC Inc. functioning as an office for the editing and issuing of BMFH made generous donation for the further development of the journal, enabling us to plan and organize the event. We take this opportunity to heartily thank the company, particularly its president, Mr. Hirota, for such kind considerations. We also thank the Immunology Board of the US-Japan Cooperative Medical Sciences Program for supporting special international lectures from the viewpoint of globalization. Lastly, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to BMFH Publication Committee members representing each academic society, especially Editor-in-Chief Kamiya, for having been fully engaged in the planning of the symposium, as well as the distinguished speakers scheduled to make presentations and all of the meeting participants attending it today. Hopefully, we will continuously working together to support and develop BMFH to the fullest through collaboration, with the aim of globally reporting outcomes obtained in the relevant research areas.
The Annual Meeting of Intestinal Microbiology
Publishing of Scientific Journals (Bioscience and Microflora, Journal of Intestinal Microbiology)
