I am Hiroshi Fujioka of the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, and I have been appointed president of Japanese Association for Crystal Growth since April 1, 2002.

Japanese Association for Crystal Growth was founded in 1974 and has a long tradition of nearly half a century. JACG has developed over the years in step with changes in society, thanks to the efforts of many of its predecessors. As you all know, the history of JACG is marked by many brilliant achievements, such as the development of blue LEDs, to which members of JACG have made decisive contributions.

Crystal growth science has many points of contact and boundary areas with basic sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as with many applied academic fields such as electronics, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, bioengineering, and medicine. In addition, new crystal growth technologies are being developed one after another, stimulated by the needs of industries that use crystal growth, such as the chemical, semiconductor, electronic component, automobile, and medical device industries. Therefore, it is important for the development of this discipline to provide a place where people with diverse backgrounds can gather and deepen discussions. We believe that JACG should actively fulfill its role as an organization that supports such academic and industry-academia exchanges.

The news these days is full of gloomy topics such as armed conflicts and the spread of infectious diseases. Among them, the coronavirus scourge that began in 2019 continues to rage, and even now, several years later, there are still many cases every day. Direct conversation between people was considered dangerous, and even in the field of academic activities, many restrictions were imposed, such as the cancellation of meetings and national and international conferences. Such a decline in communication is a major obstacle to sound academic development. On the other hand, one slight bright side of the changes caused by this calamity is that many people have become familiar with Internet technology, and anyone can use online tools to hold meetings. In the medium to long term, I believe that the effects of this disease will subside, and the day will come when everyone will once again be able to meet face to face to discuss crystal growth in a passionate manner. However, we should actively use the online technology skills we have acquired as an inexpensive tool to communicate with people around the world. In the future, we would like to explore a new way of managing JACG that actively utilizes the advantages of IT technology for meetings, information dissemination, education and enlightenment activities, and interactions among members, while also valuing the advantages of face-to-face meetings.

The phenomenon of crystal growth itself, which is the subject of our research, is essentially the recombination of chemical bonds at the atomic and molecular level on the order of 0.1 nm. Through the functions of the assembled crystals, however, various fields of application will open up, sometimes providing hints for solutions to problems facing future societies, such as environmental issues and the aging population problems. I think the charm of the Crystal Growth Society lies in its broad diversity, where people in basic fields, who value pure interest in natural phenomena, and people in applied fields, who place the highest priority on contribution to society, skillfully coexist. I believe that there are many people in both academia and industry who are involved in work related to crystal growth but have never heard of our society. By conveying the joys of our society to such people, we would like to welcome them as new friends and work toward the further development of our society. During my term as president, I intend to make every effort to ensure the smooth operation and development of the association, but I am afraid that there are many things I may not be able to accomplish due to my inexperience and lack of knowledge. I would appreciate your frank opinions and suggestions, and I would like to conclude my address by asking you, the members, for your kind cooperation.