Dear Colleagues, It is our great pleasure to welcome all participants to the 17th Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), with the theme of "Viral Hepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Asia" in Kyoto.

First of all, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the large number of free papers submitted for the oral and poster sessions. A record breaking number of 1513 as the abstracts for the APASL was accepted. With this degree of interest in the theme in our area of Asia and other countries, I feel committed to making this conference a great success.

I strongly believe that the real core of the Scientific Meeting is the good quality and number of submitted free papers. Each day has different main topic, such as HBV on the 1st day, HCV & Transplantation on the 2nd day, and HCC & NASH on the 3rd day, expecting concentrated and active discussions. These 1513 abstracts may represent the potentials of Asian Hepatology.

In addition to this scientific meeting, our society has decided to launch the first official journal for APASL; Hepatology International. We have printed 3000 copies that have included the above mentioned abstracts and a few original articles. I am happy this journal will become a strong asset to the society.

We would like to extend to you a hearty welcome to Kyoto, and hope you have a wonderful stay in the ancient city during the beautiful cherry blossom season.

Sincerely,

Masao Omata, M.D. University of Tokyo President, APASL

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Kyoto Kyoto is an ancient city as the capital during 794-1868 for a thousand years. Everything has been well preserved including shrines, imperial palace, and people. It is quite a contrast to Tokyo.