The Imperial FamilyActivities of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and other Members of the Imperial FamilyTheir Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress EmeritaAddresses and Press Conferences by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress until April 30, 2019Addresses by their Majesties the Emperor and EmpressAddress by His Majesty the Emperor (2001)
I am very pleased that this 30th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Experimental Hematology is being held in Japan with the participation of many medical experts from both this country and overseas.
In 1971, the International Society for Experimental Hematology(ISEH)was formally established and since then the ISEH has made great contributions to the promotion of basic research in hematology such as the elucidation of the hematopoietic process, the discovery of related hematopoietic growth factors, and the development of therapies for treating hematopoietic disorders and hematological malignancies, particularly hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and also to the development of clinical applications of those research findings, resulting in advancement of hematology. I heard that an important catalyst behind the formation of this Society, was the bone marrow transplantation performed for the treatment of the irradiated victims when, in 1958, the research nuclear-reactor accident occurred at Vinca in Yugoslavia. Though, the nuclear reactor accident primarily should not have occurred, I am greatly heartened that many ISEH members have been involved in the treatment of hematopoietic disorders when nuclear reactor accidents took place in the world. I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound respect for their long-term research efforts and their contribution to the health and welfare of humanity.
The 20th century saw dramatic advancements in science and technology. With this progress, medicine and medical care developed rapidly, and in the field of hematology, various treatments were developed for leukemia, aplastic anemia, and other diseases that were thought to be incurable, and there is now hope for full recovery. On the other hand, the advancement of science and technology also gave rise to weapons of mass destruction, and the 20th century saw more lives lost to war and conflict than any other century. In the summer of 1945, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused the deaths of about 200,000 people within that year and many more have died since then from radiation-related disorders. There was no effective treatment for such disorders at that time, and it is painful for me to think of the many people who went on dying in great suffering. In this regard in paticular, I am deeply moved by the remarkable results obtained by the ISEH today in the treatment of radiation-related disorders.
This is the first ISEH annual meeting of the 21st century. I especially hope that all attending will deepen exchange with their colleagues throughout the world and make this a fruitful gathering, reviewing the course followed in medicine and medical treatment in the last century. Thank you.
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