Dear Members and Guests,

It is my great honor and privilege to hold the 50th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (JSPCCS) in Okayama.
　The first scientific meeting was held at Nagoya International Hotel on May 17th, 1965 under the chairmanship of Drs. Tokuro Nagayama and Yukio Izumi. This was coincidentally the year when Helen B. Taussig, the mother of pediatric cardiology, served as a president of the American Heart Association. Since then, scientific meetings have been consistently held once a year. Members of this society have been a pediatric cardiologists and pediatric cardiac surgeons and now the society is consisted of pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric intensivists, obstetricians, perfusionists and nurses. Our senior already recognized importance of team work to treat children with congenital heart diseases 50 years ago.  
　My carrier as a pediatric cardiac surgeon started in 1985 when I began cardiac surgical training in Green Lane Hospital under Sir Brian Barrett-Boyes. In July 1987, I moved to Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne as a senior fellow and succeeded an consultant pediatric cardiac surgeon in 1988 when William Brawn moved to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, UK.
　In late 1990, I was back to Okayama, my home university, to build a new cardiac surgical department. In 1993, I became a professor and chairman of the department of cardiovascular surgery in Okayama University when I was 41 years old.
　The hospital mortality of neonate open heart surgery was 33% according to the database of Japan. However, the mortality in neonate open heart surgery was down to 11% in 2008 database. Management of congenital heart disease was dramatically changed during these 20 years. Now, most of the complex congenital heart defects are diagnosed by fetal echocardiography. Mortality of hypoplastic left heart syndrome is now less than 10% in many good centers. Most of the surgeons and physicians interests are in QOL of the patients with complex congenital heart diseases. Now, some of the interventions has replaced to surgery and hybrid procedure became popular combined treatment between pediatric cardiologist and cardiac surgeon. In Boston Children’s Hospital, fetal intervention became real treatment strategy. Who imagined this improvement?
　On the other hand, young doctor’s interests are against our specialty, due to hard work and minimal incentive. In Japan, pediatric cardiac surgical units are more than 100 and most of the units are doing less than 100 cases a year. We need to concentrate units to perform at least 200 cases a year, otherwise young doctors can’t have a good training. 
　This is 50 years anniversary of our society and special program was made on July 4th to celebrate the anniversary. I must thank all of you that we have received more than 800 abstracts. I hope many people will join the universal meeting and think of our future together. Of note, this meeting is combined with 10th annual meeting of Japan-China –Korea heart forum. I also must thank attendees from China, Korea and South-east Asia.

　Okayama is said to be a kingdom of fruits and sunshine city. We also have lots of historical places around Okayama area. I hope many of you will enjoy the conference as well as sightseeing and food of Okayama.

                                                     President of 50th JSPCCS
President of 10th Japan-China-Korea Pediatric Heart Forum
Shunji Sano