Message Jan 2022
Message from President
1 January 2022
The years 2020 and 2021 were difficult for individuals globally due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In order to adhere to social distancing recommendations and mitigate the spread of the virus, our annual face-to-face meeting was transformed into a virtual online meeting, similar to the previous year. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Masakazu Aoki of Tohoku University and his organizing committee for their efforts in organizing the online annual meeting in October 2021. Additionally, I would like to thank Doctors Naoya Ohtsuchi and Yuzo Koyano Ohta for organizing the pre-meeting workshop for young crustacean researchers. I am grateful to all attendees, speakers, and organizers for their participation. During this meeting, Mr. Kaito Morishima of Kanagawa University was awarded the CSJ Best Poster Prize, Mr. Keisuke Ohnuki of Kyoto University was awarded the CSJ Best Oral Presentation Prize, and Dr. Akihiro Yoshikawa of the University of Tokyo was awarded the Best Paper Prize. Congratulations to all awardees.
Volume 50 of "Crustacean Research" was published in December 2021, featuring a stunning cover photograph taken by Ms. Natsuko Yamamoto of a charming Dromidiopsis lethrinusae crab, also known as the "Yukinko-Boushi-Gani" or "Ogasawara Kamuri" in its standard Japanese name. This crab is widely known by the latter moniker, which translates to "Snow Spirit Cap Crab" and is derived from a famous folktale from Niigata Prefecture in Japan. Our Japanese journal, "CANCER," continues to thrive under the guidance of our esteemed editor, Dr. Yuzo Koyano Ohta.
We have received a good news from Professors Susumu Ohtsuka and Kaori Wakabanashi of Hiroshima University regarding the International Conference on Copepoda, which is scheduled to take place in Hiroshima, Japan in early summer 2024. However, the organizing committee is closely monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and may adjust the date as necessary. It is my hope that the COVID-19 disease will be eradicated in the near future.
We have received more good news. Our esteemed and honorable emeritus member, Professor Shigemitsu Shokita of the University of the Ryukyus, has published a book entitled "Life History of Freshwater Shrimp," which is based on his lifetime of research on freshwater shrimp in the Ryukyu Archipelago. If you are interested in purchasing this book, please contact Professor Tohru Naruse at the University of the Ryukyus.
Additionally, our active and energetic member, Dr. Tadashi Kawai, and his colleagues have published a book entitled "Recent Advances in Freshwater Crustacean Biodiversity and Conservation." The majority of the chapters in this book are based on papers presented at symposia organized by the editors at international scientific meetings held in Barcelona and Washington D.C., as well as symposia organized by Dr. Kawai in Sapporo (IAA-CSJ Joint International Symposium) and Hong Kong (CSJ-TCS International Symposium).
Internationalization is a key policy of ours. Given the recent advancement and internationalization of crustacean biology research in the Asian region, now is the perfect time to establish an Asian-Pacific network for crustacean biology. The Carcinological Society of Japan will host this network and to make this idea a reality, we will be hosting several international symposia and inviting individuals who are actively studying crustacean biology in the Asian region to present reviews of their research.
See the following web-pages for recent efforts on this matter.
Past Symposia by CSJ 
Symposia in 2017 
Symposia in 2019 
Finally, I would like to request the cooperation of all of you by inviting new members to join, attending and giving presentations at our annual meeting, and submitting manuscripts for publication in "Crustacean Research" and "Cancer."
Akira Asakura,
President, Carcinological Society of Japan
Director and Professor, Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University