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I am Yoshiaki Kitamura, President of The Japan Association of Radiological Technologists (JART). A year has passed since last June when I assumed the office of President. Our Association, founded in 1947 and made up of some 30,000 radiological technologists, is a public-service association functioning under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As the health industry's only specialized organization for radiological technologists, we see our daily job as protecting the public's health through the use of diagnostic imaging equipment and radiotherapy technology.
I would ask that the members of the Association consider themselves as not simply people who make and use technology, but as professionals who join hands together to both improve image diagnostic technology and develop image diagnostic medical devices.
My own relationship with JIRA began in the mid-1980s when I became a committee member of the then newly established JIS/IEC Committee (presently the Science Exchange Committee, Standardization Sub-Committee). This Committee was created by the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology (JSRT) to work to establish standards and standardization. To this day, I remain a committee member active in JSRT's work on standardization.
The JART Corporation now conducts various activities aimed at responding to changes in the environment surrounding healthcare. We are involved in securing safe healthcare services, in improving environments so they allow for the appropriate use of medical technology, in fully meeting the challenge in the Cancer Control Act 2007 for the early discovery of disease, in improving the ability of radiological technologists to contribute to the early treatment of disease, and in the improvement of the quality of radiological technologists. We also have two core projects; one is related to lifelong education, and the other is related to minimizing exposure to medical radiation.
In terms of lifelong education, it goes without saying that as members of the healthcare profession we must continually learn in order to keep up with advances in medical technology and devices. To meet the public's demand that the quality of qualified healthcare practitioners is maintained and enhanced, our Assoication promotes the building of a system for lifelong education that takes into consideration license renewal. As part of this, we developed the AD Seminar and Clinical Technique Proficiency Test. Both qualifications must be renewed every five years and we have a system which is able to handle licensing renewal at any time. We have e-learning courses that allow anyone to take the classes from any location.
It goes without saying that for medical radiological technologists who belong to the only profession whose name begins with the word radiation, the role to be played in our other core project - minimizing exposure to medical radiation - is great. Last year, our Association began recruiting facilities to use our Radiation Booklet (Record Book for Radiation Exposure). We began this method of information disclosure in order to address citizens' desire to know how much radiation they are exposed to and from our desire to provide safe and reassuring medical services. This booklet will become a tool for communication about radiation exposure and, we hope, lead to increased trust.
Furthermore, in order for the public to trust radiation treatment, the Project to Certify Facilities that Reduce Medical Radiation aims to ensure hospitals conduct daily checks of their equipment, safely manages both their radiation facilities and the exposure of their staff. Such a system is a must and we are pressing forward with investigations and examinations. With regard to certification standards, we propose specific measures that will minimize exposure to medical radiation and instruct hospitals and radiology departments concerning what they should do to minimize medical radiation. The significance of this certification process lies in how it will lead to better quality facilities because of the requirement at the early stages of the certification process to measure radiation and collect data. It will lead not only to an environment that appropriately handles the public's anxiety and doubt, but to one in which correct information about radiation is made available to all.
In order to provide safe and reassuring medical services, I believe it is requisite that we have individuals who are of high quality and medical facilities that are safe. As the head of this professional organization, I see it as my duty to the public to promote these activities.
In June of 2003, our Association instituted Roentgen Week and declared that it be celebrated every year between November 2 and 8. Indeed, it was on November 8, 1895 that Professor W. K. Roentgen discovered radiation, the starting point for the present field of radiotherapy. It is not too much to say that without this discovery the fields of medicine and medical care would never have made the progress they have. It is to memorialize this discovery that we declare the week from November 2-8 as Roentgen Week and hold events around the country aimed at educating people about radiation and promoting the recognition of radiological technologists and the dissemination of their work. Since the promulgation of the Cancer Control Act 2007 we have especially appealed to the public regarding the need for cancer detection and greater awareness about health issues. We receive enormous help from the industry in holding this event and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my sincere thanks.
Our Association also now holds regular meetings with JIRA in which we share ideas and opinions. We especially receive various words of advice and counsel concerning the issue of medical service reimbursement. Also, a questionnaire survey was conducted through the cooperation of the both Associations and we are now beginning to see the fruit of this work.
Going forward, both Associations will cooperate and move forward with various projects that aim to provide the safe and reassuring healthcare services that the public desires. I look forward to your further guidance and encouragement. | 
