In this spring season, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to all our members. The Noto Peninsula earthquake last year, followed by the heavy downpour in September, which left the recovery and reconstruction work in progress, has made us all aware of the various crises caused by climate change on a global scale. I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to those who are still in the process of recovery and reconstruction.

The year 2025 is the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac, which means "resurrection and rebirth" and "rebirth, the birth of the next life" because of the image of the snake shedding its skin. It is our hope that this year will be a year of renewal and rebirth not only for Japan but for the world as well.

Below is a brief report on the activities of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science (JANS) in FY2024.

The 44th Annual Meeting of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science is an important project of the Society, and was held for two days from December 7 to 8 mainly at Kumamoto Castle Hall under the theme of "The Challenge of Nursing Science to the Disparity Society: Creating a Future Beyond Imagination," with Dr. Hitomi Maeda, the President of the Meeting, as the main speaker. Multiple catastrophes and various effects of discord in the world's circumstances are causing diverse disparities, including health disparities. It is also a place to think about how nursing science can take up the challenge of addressing these disparities, and we were able to successfully conclude the conference with over 1,000 abstracts, including various lectures, symposiums, exchange meetings, and English sessions. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Hitomi Maeda, the President of the conference, and everyone involved for making the conference such a great success.

Next, regarding the business of the association, each committee has steadily expanded and activated its activities so far this term. As in the past, we have been focusing on the activation of young researchers, and the student membership approved at the General Meeting of Members held in June was launched in January. This is a seed-planting project for future full members of the society.

One more thing, we have been focusing on "how to involve citizens" this term. I spoke about Citizen Science in Nursing at a joint lecture with JANA the year before last. I also posted on Facebook the words "user democracy" alongside "citizen science" in order to make nursing more consciously a part of the citizenry. We have been trying to spread within JANS the idea of making nursing more consciously a part of the citizenry. We hope that this will bring JANS closer to the public and encourage them to take an even greater interest in nursing. However, while these active projects are a welcome addition to the management of the society, further expansion of the projects is becoming an issue of securing financial resources as a public interest incorporated association. We believe that the major issue for fiscal year 2025 is what we should focus on in the development of our business.

The year 2025 will be a year of renewal for JANS, as it will be the year of the Snake, with the election of the Board of Directors this year. It will also be a year of further innovation in nursing science. I look forward to meeting all of you directly at the Annual Meeting of Members and the Annual Meeting of the Society and receiving your candid opinions, and I will work with the Directors and Auditors to promote the operation of the Board of Directors so that the Society can be actively managed.

February 2025, good day.