History:

• Founded April 5, 1927, originally as the Tokyo Parasitology Club (1920), later renamed the Tokyo Parasitology Association.
• In April 1929, the first formal meeting was held under Chairman Shibasaburo Kitasato.
• Annual meetings held since, except during 1942–1945. Regional branches established from 1945.
• Four regional branches: Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern Japan, each holding annual conventions.

Purpose:

To promote academic research, development, and dissemination of parasitology, through conferences and journal publications.
Organization:
• Officers include the Chairman, Directors, General President, Councilors, and Auditors. The Board of Directors includes 13 regional representatives and 2 appointed members.

Membership (as of Jan 4, 2019):

• Life members: 8
• Honorary members: 18
• Councilors: 184
• Regular members: 391
• Student members: 147
• Institutional members: 3

Meetings:

• One annual academic meeting and one meeting per regional branch per year

Publications:

• Japanese Journal of Parasitology (formerly six issues per year)
• Renamed Parasitology International in 1997 (published quarterly in English by Elsevier)
• Abstract supplements published for academic meetings

Society Symbol Mark:

Established during the 50th anniversary in 1978. Designs were solicited and selected through voting at the 48th general meeting. Final design by Seiichi Inaomi, finalized with input from art expert Kyo Horikawa. Officially adopted and published in Vol. 28, No. 5 of the Society’s journal.
Symbol Design Explanation: The outer ring features four lines representing the North, East, West, and South branches. The inner circle includes:
• A roundworm eggshell (with corrugated protein layer)
• A tapeworm egg
• A liver fluke egg (with distinct shape)
• An Anopheles mosquito cephalothorax
• A malaria parasite ring form
These elements represent the five main parasitology fields: nematodes, cestodes, trematodes, sanitary animals, and protozoa.

Date: October 28, 2006 Author: Seiichi Inaomi