Welcome Message

Kenji Okada, MD, PhD Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiovascular Surgery

   We are pleased to announce that the 13th German-Japanese Congress of Vascular Surgery will be held at Acrie Himeji (Himeji City Cultural Convention Center) from September 1 (Monday) to 3 (Wednesday), 2025.

   The German-Japanese Society for Vascular Surgery (GJSVS) was established for the purpose of exchanging research on vascular surgery between Japan and Germany, and is an international conference on vascular surgery held every two years in Japan and Germany, where leading vascular surgeons from both countries gather to discuss a wide range of topics from venous diseases to treatment of aortic aneurysms. The first conference was hosted by Professor Masayoshi Okada of Kobe University and was held in Kobe City soon after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995. This is the 13th congress and has become an important academic meeting for vascular surgeons in Japan and Germany to deepen academic and social exchange.
   In vascular surgery, diagnostic methods and surgical and intravascular treatments for both great vessels, peripheral vascular, and venous diseases are rapidly changing, and minimally invasive surgical methods have been developed. At the same time, the number of patients with critical limb ischemia is increasing along with the rise in metabolic syndrome, and the technical standards required of vascular surgeons are becoming higher and higher. As Dr. Wiliam Osler once said, “A man is as old as his arteries,” and the treatment of vascular diseases is essential for extending healthy life expectancy.
   We are expecting a meaningful discussion for the development of vascular surgery in both countries and look forward to a large number of participants.
   Himeji city, where the conference will be held, is only 15 minutes away from Kobe by Shinkansen bullet train and is home to the beautiful Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site. We are planning to have a performance of Noh, a Japanese classical performance art with a history of 600 years, at the general banquet. We hope you will enjoy it with Himeji's local cuisine. Also, please enjoy the Osaka World Expo to be held in 2025 at the same time.
   Although it is still hot in Japan in early September, we look forward to your active participation. We look forward to seeing you in Himeji.