As the theme of the meeting, I have chosen “Creation of Future Orthopaedics: Orthopaedic medical care in the Era of the 100-Year Lifespan.” As people can now expect to live to 100, orthopaedic medical care will have an ever more important role to play in safeguarding the orthopaedic health of the nation’s residents of all generations, and giving them a bright future. Recent years have seen rapid paradigm shifts in medical care, and I hope that this Annual Meeting will offer a venue for serious discussion of issues including the degree to which we can appropriately incorporate novel medical technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots, remote medicine, and the use of big data into orthopaedic medical care, as well as the extent to which we can respond to pressing healthcare policies including the board certification system, reform of doctors’ working practices, and gender equality of doctors. I also want to offer young doctors not only the opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of orthopaedic surgery, but also a venue where we can show them their possible future directions as orthopaedic surgeons. Although the future course of COVID-19 is unpredictable, we are adopting a hybrid format for this Annual Meeting utilizing information technology suitable for the post-COVID era, so that participants will be able to experience both the traditions of the JOA and its future whether they are taking part in person or online.

I am very much looking forward to seeing you there.