Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

On this occasion, allow me to announce to you that I have stepped down from my post as the head of AMDA Japan and welcomed Dr. Takushi Sato to take over my work. Although I will continue to serve as President of AMDA International, Dr. Sato will be steering AMDA Japan’s activities from now on.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of our organization, and for myself who will be turning 77 years of age, I thought it would be the right time to decide how I should lead my further path of life.

Dr. Sato served as a Member of the Board of AMDA Japan for years. This time, the Board unanimously agreed to appoint him to the Chairperson of the Board of AMDA Japan, not to mention with my fervent recommendation.

As some of you are already familiar, Dr. Sato has been particularly known for actively promoting endoscopy and emergency medicine in Nepal and Mongolia in recent years. He has also joined many of our disaster relief missions across the globe, which include 2015 earthquake in Nepal and 2016 cholera outbreak in Haiti. 

He has already made a huge contribution towards fostering medical professionals of the next generation.

The 1st AMDA International Conference
(at the time of AMDA’s founding in 1984)

The world has been unprecedentedly turbulent ever since the novel coronavirus pandemic struck in 2020. The economic downturn, stemming from city blockades and lockdowns, followed by two wars between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Hamas and Israel, has brought about immeasurable consequences and is likely to persist for the time being. 

On top of that, the food crisis, triggered by abnormal weather conditions, has exacerbated the already-precarious situation. A stalemate (combined with inflation) like this brings me to recall the revolutions that sprung in various parts of the world in the past centuries, because they were the byproducts of the so-called “stagflation.”

To cope with today’s dynamic geopolitical climate, I am very much confident that Dr. Sato will lead our organization in flexibly seeking ways to contribute to mankind. His broad vision and medical expertise will surely help navigate AMDA Japan in the right direction. 

Finally yet importantly, I strongly hope that the organization will unite under his leadership and respond to any challenges that may arise in the years to come.

Shipping relief supplies to quake-hit
Sakhalin, Russia (1995)

Signing a ceasefire agreement with Taliban leaders
for a vaccination campaign in Afghanistan (1999)

Flooding in Pakistan (2010)

Earthquake in Nepal (2015)