ASIA – The Japanese city of Yokohama has won its bid to host the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) World Conference in 2017.
The conference is appropriate seeing lung cancer became the major cause of cancer deaths among the Japanese for the first time in 1998, surpassing stomach cancer, according to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Not only will the Japanese have a chance to showcase their own R&D in this field, the convergence of some 6,000 delegates from all over the world will mean a good opportunity for networking and exchange of ideas among likeminded peers.
The US-based IASLC which is dedicated to the study of Lung Cancer, organises the world conference as well as regional meetings in Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific.
IASLC held its Executive Board Meeting in Sorrento, Italy in April, and officially appointed Dr. Hisao Asamura, the Deputy Director of the National Cancer Center Hospital, as the President of the 2017 World Conference.
The Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau and international conference centre, PACIFICO Yokohama, had worked closely with Dr. Asamura and other local professors to present the bid and secure the privilege to host the 2017 conference over Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong.
According to Dr. Asamura, among the various reasons for Yokohama’s win is its competitively priced accommodation, Japan’s large and active membership in IASLC; and the co-hosting of the Annual Meeting of the Japan Lung Cancer Society, which will increase the total number of attendees to the World Conference. These, together with the full support from the national and local governments, made Yokohama’s bid irresistible.
“Ever since Japan opened its doors to the world over 150 years ago, Yokohama has been the nation’s key entry point for international trade and engagement, which brought on the fusion of global perspectives with local expertise,” says Kana Nomoto of Yokohama CVB.
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