We welcome you to join the IAGG Asia/Oceania Regional Congress 2023 in Yokohama, Japan. We have hosted the IAGG/AOG meeting 3 times, in 1978,1991 and 2003. During the recent meetings, I have many opportunities to meet a lot of excellent researchers and physicians, and I am happy to see many old friends, as well as make new ones here in Yokohama in 2023. During a quarter of century, Japan and our globe have had many significant changes.

We are currently facing the issues of global aging. You know in Asian/Oceanian counties, the most rapid phase of aging is going on. These waves are observed not only in Singapore, Korea, China but in Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar.

Japan faces a super-aged society where the number of elderly people exceeded 1/4 of the whole population. 　This is a matured and aging civilization. Briefly, a Super-Aged Society is characterized to have 3 challenges ;（１） Increase of people with cognitive decline, （２） Increase in elderly people with frailty, and （３） to be a death-ridden society. What can we propose as solutions for these difficult challenges? In short, in a super-aged society, preventive trials against cognitive decline and frailty should be built in a national health strategy to delay the onset of disability. The trajectory of main target of disability from infectious disease, non-communicable diseases to dementia/frailty may be a good or challenging text for all Asian/Oceania countries, which is the greatest reason to host the meeting in Japan.

We will arrange a comfortable congress for young as well as old colleagues to create solutions in the future. Featured and constructive discussions are expected in the sessions.

Again, welcome and we anticipate your participation and support for the congress.