It is a great honor and privilege to hold Masaki Kitajima Commemorating Scientific Symposium of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society.
The 4th Triangle Symposium of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society (The 9th Meeting of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society) was to be conducted under the presidency of Professor Masaki Kitajima in Pacifico Yokohama, Yokohama, Kanagawa on Sunday, September 13 and Monday September 14, 2020. However, following the sudden demise of Professor Kitajima on May 21st 2019, I succeeded him to host the 4th Triangle Symposium. Furthermore, due to the Covid 19 global pandemic, we have been forced to reschedule the 4th Triangle Symposium in Japan to the time when things return to normal.
While there are no signs of the pandemic slowing down, we will mark the 2nd anniversary of Professor Kitajima’s death. Taking this occasion, "Masaki Kitajima Commemorating Scientific Symposium of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society" is to be held by getting together online. We hope this commemorating symposium provides an opportunity to carry on his achievements and to make a fresh start for further development.
The program reflects the three main topics of Professor Kitajima’s surgical research commitment - Oncology, Transplantation, Minimally Invasive Surgery. We firmly believe that surgery in these fields will continue to evolve in Japan, Hungary and Poland as Professor Kitajima wished.
We do hope all who attend share time remembering Professor Kitajima and looking to advancement of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society through this symposium.
I sincerely thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing you on May 22, 2021.
Yuko Kitagawa, MD, PhD, FACS
Congress President
Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine
Dear colleagues, friends in Japan, Poland and in Hungary,
On behalf of the Hungarian surgeons I have to say many thanks to the organisers for having opportunity to remember Professor Masaki Kitajima on the 2nd anniversary of his death by this symposium.
A quarter of century ago together with Prof Kitajima we have estabilished the Japan-Hungary-Surgical-Society which has been extended as Japan-Hungary-Poland - a Triangle Surgical Society. Owing to the common efforts, this Society is continuously flourishing and past symposia organised in the three countries resulted considerable success in respect of expanding surgical knowledge in research, bedside and in OR. Furthermore, friendships were born among the participants of three countries.
This is the second time when we had to cancell our common meeting: we had to postpone even the second planned one of the Society because of the SARS virus outbreak - many years ago. But the Triangle Society lived and will survive also the Covid pandemy.
When Professor Kitamija carefully planned a meeting for 2019 he advised the theme for the 4th Triangle Symposium:
„Triangle Integration of Art, Science and Humanity”
This is his testimony, a message to all of us.
I am convincened the Masaki Kitajima Commemorating Scientific online Symposium of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society will represent the highest scientific level, to prove: we follow our Master’s and friend’s teaching.
József Sándor, MD, PhD, FACS
Founding Co-President of JHP Surgical Society
Semmelweis University
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends from Japan, Hungary and Poland.
I am very happy that we will soon have the opportunity to participate in the Masaki Kitajima Commemorating Scientific Symposium of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society. On behalf of the Association of Polish Surgeons and all surgeons from Poland I would like to thank the Organizers that we will be around again. Unfortunately, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic does not allow us to contact directly and only in the online form.
The opportunity is special, because the memory of Professor Masaki Kitajima is constantly alive. Each of us, both Colleagues from Japan and we - surgeons from Hungary and Poland have been able to participate many times in meetings with Professor Masaki Kitajima. Each of us experienced his friendly sympathy, enormous professionalism, but also a huge personal warmth. As we remember, Professor Masaki Kitajima was an initiator and one of the founders of our Society. He was a great advocate for the organization of triangle scientific meetings between our countries.
As a result, three times every two years we had the opportunity to organize Triangle Scientific Symposia which were successively held in Tokyo, Lublin and in Budapest. This allowed us to organize many sessions at the highest scientific level with its spectrum covering various aspects of the surgical research and clinical practice in surgery. Thanks to this, we also had the opportunity to establish a tripartite cooperation, initiate friendship between surgeons from Japan, Hungary and Poland. A special motivation for Professor Masaki Kitajima was the desire to promote scientific achievements of young surgeons from our countries. In my opinion as well as other surgeons form Poland, his initiative became also our success. Symposia enjoy great popularity among young surgeons, which is evidenced by numerous participations.
As the last message of Professor Masaki Kitajima, all our meetings should be adopted by his will "Triangle Integration of Art, Science and Humanity" as the main idea of the Japan-Hungary-Poland Surgical Society in our contacts and cooperation in the future.
I have great hope that current epidemiological limitations related to the spread of SARS-C0V-2 virus worldwide will not affect the great tradition of the direct surgeons’ meetings in the following years. And we will have a multiple opportunity to visit our beautiful countries - Japan, Hungary and Poland.
I am convinced that this Symposium devoted to the memory of Professor Masaki Kitajima will happen at a high scientific level and traditionally meet our expectations.
Grzegorz Wallner MD, PhD, hon. FAPS
Founding Co-President of JHP Surgical Society
Medical University of Lublin, Poland
