Greetings to my fellow members. May the New Year turn out to be the happiest and best for you.

Since our incorporation as an NPO in 2003, along with our development, we have commenced various activities, such as the introduction of the board certification system, with the consent of the members verified by questionnaire surveys and other means. Regarding the introduction of a presidential system, a significant shift, our proposal for modifying the articles of the association, was approved by the relevant authority in the autumn of 2009. With the completion of the operation rules, we have successfully shifted to a presidential system. At the first election held on December 11, 2009, I, who happen to be the present chairman, was elected as the president. My term of office is from January 1, 2010 to our 28th annual meeting in 2011. By incorporation, the function of our council has changed radically, and we have come to take still more important administrative works upon ourselves. We have had to make many changes, such as revising our initial plans and overcoming our inadequacies, over the last five years since our incorporation. Due to such circumstances, I fear that we occasionally might have made changes without having had a clear grasp of the situation. Now, after 5 years, with the successful dissemination of our board certification system and launching the presidential system, I believe that we have finally achieved a firm status as a corporation. Having been selected as the first president of our association, with the sizeable responsibility of managing the corporation, I shall devote much effort to elevate the significance of this corporation. However, for the president and council to carry out corporate activities, we need the support of you fellow members. We greatly appreciate your further guidance and encouragement. Thank you in advance for your continued support.