Having just begun my term as JSPP president this year, I am awed by the enormity of my responsibilities, but committed to fully devoting myself to the development of this society. As we move forward into this new year, I would like to express my convictions and intentions regarding the direction of the JSPP's future activities. Since its founding in 1959, the JSPP has developed as a society that goes beyond university departments of science, agriculture, and pharmacology to serve as an unconventional framework for researchers studying plant physiology. The remarkable increase in membership, annual meeting attendance, and the number of lectures offered indicate that the society is still in a period of growth. The society's journal, Plant & Cell Physiology, has become widely recognized as an important journal in its field. Building on the foundation already established, I would like the JSPP to focus on the following three goals in the future.
      First, we should aim to expand the JSPP's sphere of activity from plant physiology to plant science, as the research conducted by JSPP members has expanded beyond the boundaries of plant physiology into the larger realm of plant science. This reflects an overall trend in plant research and has also been a driving force behind the society's development. I sincerely hope that the annual meeting and Plant & Cell Physiology will bring together a wide range of plant science researchers, and that we will be able to establish ties with related academic societies.
      The second goal is to further internationalize the JSPP. In addition to developing Plant & Cell Physiology into an even more appealing journal, efforts must be made to promote international ties through the JSPP annual meeting and year-round symposia. Although we have had frequent interactions with the American Society of Plant Biologists, we should strive to develop further relationships with counterpart organizations in Asian countries like China and South Korea.
      The third goal is to educate the general public about the importance of plant science. Activities such as the "Public Resources" link on the JSPP website and lectures for general audiences last year organized primarily by Public Relations Committee of our society are important in terms of educating society at large about the rising importance of plant science in solving 21st-century food supply and environmental problems. The JSPP has also issued a declaration regarding the GMO problem. Fulfilling our responsibility as a professional organization to inform people about important issues is an important part of the JSPP's mission, and we will continue to actively strive to do this.
      Late last year, Dr. N. H. Chua of The Rockefeller University was awarded the 21st International Prize for Biology. While the fields of specialization of past prize winners Dr. M. D. Hatch (1991) and Dr. E. M. Meyerowitz (1997) were the "Functional Biology of Plants" and "Plant Science," respectively, last year's award was particularly noteworthy for honoring research in "Structural Biology in Fine Structure, Morphology and Morphogenesis" that is, in the field of biology not limited to plants. This was a significant development since research in plant science is evaluated within the field of biology as a whole and has an impact on other fields.
      Given the current state of research, the JSPP should strive to contribute to the development of the life science and to society at large by presenting novel life image of plants. I look forward to the active support of all of our members in the further development of the JSPP.