Message from President 
January 2026
In recent years, our society has welcomed many younger members, and I am pleased to announce that our student membership has finally exceeded 100. The activities of the Young Researchers' Group of our society have been truly remarkable. Since the inaugural 2018 symposium, "New Perspectives on Crustaceans and Habitat Scales" at Tokai University, the group has curated an impressive and diverse array of programs. These include the 2020 symposia "Field Introductions for Young Researchers" and "The Dawn of Cultural Carcinology: My Prized Crustacean Collection," the 2021 exchange meeting, and the 2022 symposium "Carcinology and Book Publishing" at Okayama University. More recently, we saw the 2023 Sagami Bay collection trip in partnership with the Misaki Marine Biological Station (The University of Tokyo), the 2024 symposium in Hakodate "The Hidden History of Japanese Carcinology," and the 2025 collection trip at the Yokonami Peninsula in collaboration with Kochi University's Marine Biology Research and Education Center. I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Yuzo Ota (San'in Kaigan Geopark Sea and Earth Museum), Dr. Naoya Otsuchi (Otsuchi Coastal Research Center, The University of Tokyo), and all involved parties for their pioneering leadership in these initiatives.
The 2025 Annual Meeting at Kochi University was a resounding success, characterized by the vibrant enthusiasm of our younger members. My sincere thanks go to the organizing committee, Professors Tomomi Saito (Kochi University), Gyo Itani (Kochi University), Yumi Henmi (Kyoto University), and Mikihiro Nakagawa (Kochi University), as well as the many students from Kochi University whose dedicated support made this meeting possible.
During the meeting, it was a pleasure to celebrate excellence in research. The Best Oral Presentation Award was presented to Dr. Mizuki Ota (Hokkaido University), and the Best Poster Presentation Award was awarded to Dr. Naoto Inui (National Institute of Genetics). Furthermore, we held the ceremony for The Best Paper Prize (2025). The recipient, Mr. Genki Tanaka (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology), was honored for his series of three distinguished papers published in Crustacean Research. His work on Atya pilipes and A. spinipes provided invaluable insights into their environmental adaptation capabilities, particularly during their early life history. I offer my warmest congratulations to all the awardees.
In our scholarly publications, Crustacean Research, Volume 54, was published in December 2025, featuring 12 high-quality articles. On behalf of the membership, I extend my deepest gratitude to Editor, Professor Tohru Naruse (University of the Ryukyus), and the editorial board for their dedicated service. Similarly, CANCER, Volume 34, was released in August 2025 and continues to flourish under the expert guidance of Dr. Tetsuya Sanda (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences) and the editorial board. We are immensely grateful for their continued commitment and editorial excellence.
We share a wide range of information about our society's activities and news of crustacean biology on our official website. To make our communication even more timely and diverse, we are also very active on social media. We are proud to have many followers from all over the world, with approximately 850 followers on Facebook, 780 on X (Twitter), and 330 on Instagram.
The Carcinological Society of Japan is deepening its sisterhood with The Crustacean Society (TCS). In 2025, the inaugural The Crustacean Society Asian Regional Meeting was held at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, with our Society serving as a proud supporting organization. This conference was successfully concluded with 106 attendees from a diverse range of countries and regions, including Australia, Bangladesh, China, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan.
I sincerely hope that our society will continue to grow internationally, becoming a place where people from all over the world can easily join and enjoy meaningful discussions together.
Akira Asakura 朝倉彰
President, Carcinological Society of Japan
Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
