Noritsugu Umehara, 68th President of the Japanese Society of Tribologists

   I would like to extend my greetings upon assuming the office of the 68th President of the Japanese Society of Tribologists.

  The 67th term was a year of recovery from the three-year-long COVID-19 disaster, which restricted face-to-face interactions in the social activities of the Society and made the Society's activities inactive. During this period, under the leadership of former President Dr. Takero Makino, the society was actively managed according to the three policies of "enhancing member benefits by improving member services," "increasing the presence of Japanese tribology in the world," and "improving the efficiency of society operations and financial soundness. It is with a heavy heart that I take up my new position as president of the Society.

   Sixty-seven years have passed since the Society was founded in 1956. During that period, the number of Society's member increased as the economy grew steadily, and the Society's activities put into practice the purpose of its founding: "to promote science and technology related to tribology, and thereby contribute to the advancement of tribology theory and technology. However, in the 2000s, economic growth began to slow down and the number of members stopped growing steadily.

   This tendency in growing number of member is common not only to our society, but also to other engineering-related societies. This situation will not be resolved immediately, and we must face up to the situation, take a long-term perspective, and think deeply again about what is the true service to the current society members, and the Board of Directors, committees, and secretariat will work as one to manage the situation.

   For example, the number of members who are senior engineers and researchers in companies is currently sluggish. I believe that it is necessary to revitalize the number of advanced-level seminars and research groups that are useful in the field of design and production in actual companies. It is also necessary to plan and implement other effective activities of academic societies at various levels according to the degree of need.

   As for the increasing of presence of Japanese tribology, it can be enhanced by disseminating information on excellent research results from companies and researchers internationally. We believe it is important to further improve the effectiveness of not only TRIBOLOGY ONLINE, the English-language journal of the society, but also the webinars on the Internet, which were started last year.

   Furthermore, we believe it is important to conduct appropriate projects in conjunction with finances in accordance with the degree of need.

   Finally, tribology is an interdisciplinary technical field, and no matter how society changes, its power will be exerted for the sake of the new society that has changed. Therefore, I see the current turbulent times for the realization of a sustainable society as a great opportunity for tribology.

   
   We will continue to plan attractive academic activities that offer great opportunities for our members, and we sincerely hope that you will actively participate in the various activities of our society and give us your guidance and encouragement.

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