Message from the President

Satoshi Tashiro
President, the Japanese Radiation Research Society

From the Past to the Future: Mission and Perspectives of the Japanese Radiation Research Society

In June 2024, I was reappointed as the President of the Japanese Radiation Research Society, a position that fills me with a profound sense of responsibility as I continue to steer this Society, which boasts a history spanning over 60 years.

The Society was founded in 1959 by a group of researchers from various fields following the exposure of Japanese people to radiation from the 1954 Bikini Atoll hydrogen bomb test in the United States. Radiation biology was established as an interdisciplinary research field of research by researchers in biology and physics. Today, Radiation Research has evolved into a multidisciplinary field that combines ideas and methods from medicine, mathematical and theoretical biology, epidemiology, environmental studies, and other research fields. Our Society has been a pioneer in this kind of interdisciplinary research and is a community of researchers from many fields. In order to create new science from this Society, I hope to further activate exchanges with various societies and strengthen this wonderful feature of our Society.

The research demands of our Society are changing with the times: 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, and 2026 will be the 15th anniversary of the accident at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. In the field of radiation research, molecular mechanisms such as DNA damage repair have been actively studied. However, after the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi NPS in 2011, the effects of low-dose radiation on the environment and human health and risk communication have become major issues, and now, in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we also have to consider "what to do if nuclear weapons are used". It is precisely because we are facing such difficult times that Japanese and foreign researchers in the field of radiation research, need to utilize our respective strengths and work together to advance our research. The annual meeting in 2024 will be a joint meeting with the Japanese Association for Radiation Accident/Disaster Medicine in Kitakyushu, and the annual meeting in 2025, the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, will be held jointly with the Asian Congress of Radiation Research in Hiroshima. Through these efforts, we hope that the conference will be positioned as one of the platforms for radiation research in Japan and abroad.

In recent years, the scientific trend has shifted from hypothesis-driven science, in which hypotheses are constructed and verified through experiments, to data-driven science, in which research is conducted based on the results of comprehensive analyses such as gene expression analysis using next-generation sequencing and proteome analysis. This trend is inevitable in radiation research as well, and more efficient science must be built by sharing research materials and information in order to overcome the cost and the volume of data. We hope that this Society can facilitate such efforts. We will also promote both curiosity-driven science and mission-oriented science, and strive for "Useful Science" that gives back to society the results obtained in "Fun Science". We will do our utmost to support young (young-at-heart) researchers to take up the challenge of curiosity-based research and to make new discoveries through interdisciplinary fusion research.

Through these efforts, the Society hopes to contribute to the development of radiation effects research and the improvement of the public health. We would like to ask for the support of our members, universities, research institutes, academic societies, ministries and agencies, and related companies.

June 30, 2024
Satoshi Tashiro, President

Charter of the Japanese Radiation Research Society

Basic Philosophy of the Society

The Japanese Radiation Research Society (hereafter referred to as “the Society”) is an academic organization that promotes interdisciplinary research in radiation science with the aim of elucidating the effects of radiation on the human body and the environment, understanding its mechanisms, and contributing to its utilization.

In 1954, many Japanese sailors were exposed to a radioactive fallout from the hydrogen bomb tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the waters near the test site. This led to a study of the effects of radiation on the human body, as well as the contamination of the environment and food by radioactive materials. It provided an opportunity for researchers from various fields to participate in discussions. Researchers discussed the need for a forum to share such knowledge and deepen the understanding of radiation, and thus, the Society was founded in 1959.

Human life would not be possible without the use of radiation, including in the medical field. Contrarily, it is also true that radiation has undesirable effects on living things. It was extremely significant that the Society was established in Japan, the only country in the world to have been exposed to radiation during a war. We aim for the Society to be a place for comprehensively understanding the theories on radiation in Japan, as well as a base for radiation science research and the dissemination of information to the people around the world.

The Society is a focal point for all researchers of radiation science. As an academic organization, it takes pride in its traditions and bears a heavy responsibility. The Japanese Radiation Research Society hereby establishes a code of conduct for the members of the Japanese Radiation Research Society with the aim of maintaining the diversity of Earth's ecology and environment through interdisciplinary radiation science research and enabling all humankind to enjoy an equally rich life.

Members Code of Conduct

We, the members of the Japanese Radiation Research Society:

⦁ shall conduct and discuss interdisciplinary research in radiation science and disseminate advanced research results based on the basic principles of democracy, autonomy, and openness in research;

⦁ shall respect each other's human rights by mutually interacting and actively participating in the Society’s activities, to create a deeply humane academic society;

⦁ shall reflect upon the history of radiation science research pioneered by our predecessors, further develop the results, and pass them on to future generations;

⦁ shall take pride in our work as Japanese scientists and deepen exchanges and cooperation with researchers around the world; and

⦁ shall aim for a fair and prosperous research life, valuing mutual spiritual solidarity, independent academic principles, and the pursuit of truth.

History

Beginnings of Research on Effects of Radiation

In August 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and in September, the Academic Society Liaison Association (the predecessor of the Science Council of Japan) established the Special Committee for the Investigation of the Effects of the Atomic Bomb and began concerted investigation and research. Although the results could not be published immediately because of the wishes of the U.S., they were finally published in 1953 as the “Atomic Bomb Casualty Investigation Report” (in three parts). The incident on March 1, 1954, when the crew of a Japanese fishing boat was exposed to the effects of a hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, provided an opportunity for Japan to make significant progress in its research on radiation effects. Twenty-three crew members of the tuna fishing boat “Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon No. 5)” were exposed to the radioactive fallout from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test, and they developed acute radiation sickness. In response, the Science Council of Japan established the Special Committee on Radiation Effects Research (chaired by Masao Tsuzuki, Director of the Japan Red Cross Medical Center), consisting of about 80 experts from the basic research group, the medical research group, the biology research group, the fisheries research group, and the geophysics research group. They began to promote comprehensive research on the effects of radiation. In response to this, the Ministry　of　Education, Science, Sports and Culture allocated a special budget for the Special Research on Radiation in 1954. This research grant was continued for the next 10 years and played a major role in the development of radiation effects research in Japan and in expanding the base of researchers.

Founding of the Japanese Radiation Research Society

As research about the effects of radiation progressed, it became increasingly obvious that the problems caused by radiation on the human body and environment could not be solved unless researchers in specialized fields, with relatively fewer connections in the past, were brought closer together. From this perspective, more than a dozen volunteers got together and started discussions, and preparations were made to establish an academic society for the purpose of radiation effects research. Following this process, an inaugural meeting was held on July 2, 1959, in the auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo, and the Japanese Radiation Research Society was established. Dr. Masao Tsuzuki was elected as the first president. In addition, the first research presentation was held at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, from October 27 to 29 of the same year, and 86 presentations were made in total. Furthermore, the first Journal of Radiation Research was published in June 1960.

Membership

A person who wishes to become a member of the Society shall fill out the prescribed application form(https://www.jrrs.org/club/regist/) (in Japanese only), must be introduced by one of the regular members and submit it to the secretariat together with the membership fee.

⦁ Regular members: 10,000 JPY
⦁ Student members: 5,000 JPY
⦁ Overseas members: 50 USD
⦁ Supporting members (individual): 10,000 JPY (one unit)
⦁ Supporting members (group): 50,000 JPY (one or more units)

Notice：
The membership fees shall be paid every year at once by the end of the previous year (March 31 of each year).

Annual Meetings

https://www.jrrs.org/meeting/event.html　(in Japanese only)

Journal of Radiation Research

The Journal of Radiation Research (JRR) is an official journal of The Japanese Radiation Research Society (JRRS), and the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology (JASTRO).