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| Japanese Society of Microscopy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Japanese Society of Microscopy |
| Native name | 日本顕微鏡学会 |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo |
| Type | Learned society |
| Fields | Microscopy, Electron microscopy, Light microscopy, Scanning probe microscopy |
Japanese Society of Microscopy is a learned society based in Tokyo that promotes the development and application of microscopy across biology, materials science, and industry. The society interfaces with institutions such as University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Tohoku University, and Nagoya University while engaging with international bodies including the Royal Microscopical Society, Society for Applied Spectroscopy, Microscopy Society of America, International Federation of Societies for Microscopy, and the European Microscopy Society.
The society emerged in the postwar era influenced by advances at Riken, National Institute for Materials Science, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Keio University, and Hitachi. Early milestones involved collaboration with researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Hokkaido University, Kumamoto University, and industrial laboratories at Toshiba, Sony, Nikon Corporation, and JEOL. Prominent figures associated with the society’s development include alumni and faculty linked to Hideki Yukawa, Kiyoshi Nagai, Susumu Tonegawa, Shinya Yamanaka, and instrumentation pioneers connected to Kenichi Fukui and Ryōji Noyori-era research groups. The society organized symposia during landmark events such as the Expo '70 and coordinated technical standards alongside agencies like Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan).
The society’s mission emphasizes dissemination of microscopy techniques across laboratories at Waseda University, Sophia University, Meiji University, and research centers including AIST and JAXA-related facilities. Activities include hands-on workshops featuring technologies from Carl Zeiss AG, Olympus Corporation, LEICA Microsystems, and FEI Company partners, thematic courses on cryo-electron microscopy linked to work by researchers at EMBL, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Max Planck Society, and sessions on atomic force microscopy reflecting studies at IBM Research, Stanford University, and California Institute of Technology. The society organizes training in specimen preparation referencing protocols developed at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Membership comprises academics from Kyushu University, Chiba University, Niigata University, industry scientists from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sumitomo Chemical, and instrument engineers from Canon Inc. and Panasonic. Governance follows a council and executive board model with officers elected from nominees affiliated with Japan Academy, Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Japanese Biophysical Society, and professional committees liaising with IEEE and American Society for Mass Spectrometry delegates. Honorary members have included investigators associated with Nobel Prize laureates and institutional leaders from Imperial College London and University of Cambridge adjunct programs.
The society convenes annual meetings, special symposia, and focused workshops often co-located with international gatherings such as the International Microscopy Congress, European Conference on Electron Microscopy, and thematic meetings held in cities like Yokohama, Kyoto, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima. Sessions feature plenary lectures by investigators from Harvard University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, and collaborative panels with representatives from National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization. The society also hosts student poster sessions drawing attendees from Ritsumeikan University, Kanazawa University, Utsunomiya University, and regional research institutes.
The society publishes journals, proceedings, and technical bulletins citing contributions by authors affiliated with Nature Publishing Group, Springer Nature, American Chemical Society, Oxford University Press, and Elsevier. Regular communications include newsletters, methodology columns, and special issues focusing on cryo-EM, tomography, and in situ spectroscopy informed by advancements reported at Cold Spring Harbor, EMBO, Society for Neuroscience, and Gordon Research Conferences. Online resources provide protocols interoperable with databases maintained by Protein Data Bank, EMDataBank, and repositories at Dryad and Zenodo.
The society grants awards and fellowships recognizing achievements comparable to honors such as the Japan Prize, Asahi Prize, and discipline-specific medals akin to those from Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences (United States). Awards celebrate lifetime contributions, young investigator excellence, and innovation in instrumentation, with laureates often connected to research programs at RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, and international labs at ETH Zurich and University of Oxford.
International collaborations involve memoranda and joint workshops with Korean Society of Microscopy, Chinese Society for Microscopy, Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Society, American Microscopical Society, and multinational consortia including CERN-adjacent imaging initiatives and partnerships with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Exchange programs facilitate researcher visits to centers such as Broad Institute, Salk Institute, RIKEN BSI, and microscopy facilities at Brookhaven National Laboratory, supporting joint projects on materials characterization, biomedical imaging, and environmental microscopy approaches aligned with global networks like Global Young Academy and International Union for Pure and Applied Physics.