I am honored to serve as the chairperson of the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Orthodontic Society (JOS). Let me express my sincere gratitude to the annual meeting organizing committee, directors, auditors, delegates, and all members of the JOS for giving me the valuable opportunity to be in charge of this year’s annual meeting of the association with, its own proud history and tradition. 

Sapporo will be the venue for the first time in eight years since 2017, when Health Sciences University of Hokkaido was the host. This time, we at Hokkaido University will organize the event for the first time in 19 years since 2006. The 84th meeting will take place from Monday, September 29 to Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at the Sapporo Convention Center and the Sapporo Business Innovation Center. We are preparing to hold it basically in Sapporo in line with the recent annual meeting’s tradition of taking place in the area where the organizer is located. 

The theme of this year’s meeting is "Connecting Futures–The Power of Collaboration–." The year 2025 marks the 99th year since the founding of the JOS, and in 2026, the association will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Over the century, in orthodontics and clinical orthodontics, new diagnostic and treatment methods have been constantly proposed, and there have been many amazing technological innovations. I believe that these new approaches have been developed through collaboration not only among immediate team members but also with people from a wide range of fields beyond orthodontics, from basic to clinical dentistry and medicine, and even with those from fields completely different from orthodontics. Behind the theme is our hope of carrying the power of orthodontics, which stems from such collaboration, forward into the future. We hope to make the event a place to discuss not only what should be done today but also what the next stage should be.

At the meeting, we will hold an international special lecture, for which Professor Nikhillesh Vaiid (President of the World Federation of Orthodontists) will be invited as the speaker. We are also preparing to provide a wide variety of programs, including special lectures, educational lectures, symposiums, clinical seminars, staff and doctor seminars, and trading company exhibitions. For more information, please visit the website for the event, which we will continue to update.

In mid-September, autumn leaves are at their best in the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range and other areas of Hokkaido, and in Sapporo, where the event will be held, the trees gradually start to change color. That is the best time for both sightseeing and savoring food in Hokkaido. We hope that you will visit Sapporo and enjoy not only the meeting but also Hokkaido in every possible way. 

To conclude, we would like to give you a heads-up. The event period coincides with the tourist season, when it is expected that it will be extremely difficult to book hotels and flights for your visit to Sapporo, like many other tourist cities. We would recommend making your flight and hotel reservations as far advanced as possible.

We look forward to seeing many of you in Sapporo.