I am happy to announce that the 2nd International Symposium on Rice and Disease Prevention will be staged in Wakayama. It comes with great significance, given today's endless topics concerning food, that we hold a symposium for discussing the useful components of the same “rice” we eat every day from the perspective of medicine, food and industrial uses. Though rice is an important staple, not only the polished kernel but also the bran contains many useful components.
A diversity of beneficial constituents have been discovered in bran and research is underway into those mechanisms and methods of use. Already, many researchers have suggested their effectiveness in the prevention of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, dementia, cancer and other diseases. While, in recent years, research into the functions of food in general has increasingly picked up partly because of renewed interest in preventative medicine and the introduction of new medical examination programs on the national level, with rice, various approaches have been made beyond epidemiological targets to identify the functions and active mechanisms of its components. Attention has additionally turned to areas outside the field of medicine, resulting in the use of rice components in various products and research targeted at using these components to improve lifestyles. For this year's symposium, we want to gather persons from inside and outside Japan who are active in the research of rice at the forefront of medicine, pharmacology, agriculture, engineering and other fields of endeavor, so that they may present the latest research trends, discuss current issues and help plot a course for future research. We additionally want to expand the theme to include the environmental benefits and cultural connotations of rice. For Wakayama, which has played such a major part in Japan's history and is home to uncountable historical sites to note in particular the World Heritages of the Kumano-kodo byway and the Koyasan sanctuary, this symposium provides a golden opportunity to talk about a new future for “rice”, the staple of Japan. I am very excited to be involved with this event and look forward to seeing everyone in Wakayama.

Kishio Nanjo, M.D.
Chairman of the Symposium Steering Committee