We are pleased to announce that the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (JSMRM) will be held at the International Conference Hall, Makuhari Messe, from September 20 (Fri.) to 22 (Sun.), 2024.

The theme of the conference is "Molecular and quantum science in clinical MR applications”. The conference, which will be hosted by the Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), will actively address the latest research and technological developments that link scientific phenomena at the quantum and molecular levels with clinical MRI.

Chiba Prefecture has a long-standing connection with the JSMRM conference. Dr. Noboru Arimizu, from Chiba University, organised the 1st (1981) and 2nd (1982) meetings, while the 6th (autumn 1985), 14th (Autumn 1989) and 19th (Spring 1992) meetings were organised by Drs. Takeshi Iinuma, Yukio Tateno and Masahiro Endo, all of whom were from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (now QST). However, all of those meetings were held in Tokyo, so this will be the first conference to actually be held in Chiba. Kaihin Makuhari is a key location for business, science, entertainment and sports in Chiba, so we are confident that you will all enjoy the first JSMRM meeting to be hosted by a basic research laboratory in 3 years.

Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic over the past few years, academic conferences have been held in a hybrid onsite + online format. However, with the downgrading of Covid-19 to an infectious disease classification of Category 5, the number of onsite attendees is rapidly increasing. At this time we expect that JSMRM2024 will be open to onsite attendance only. However, for those who are unable to attend in person, on-demand distribution is scheduled for October 2024.

Overall, we are making preparations so that everyone can safely and securely participate in JSMRM2024. We welcome the participation of anyone who has an interest in MRI, and look forward to lively onsite debate and discussion of important MRI issues.