2011 Volume 51 Issue 7 Pages 600-607
The Asian College of Psychosomatic Medicine (ACPM) was established and made its debut as the Asian Chapter of the International College of Psychosomatic Medicine (ICPM-AC) with memorial lectures by five distinguished psychosomatists such as Professor Yujiro IKEMI (Japan), Amarendra Narayan SINGH (Canada), Burton G.BURTON-BRADLEY (Papua-NewGuinea) etc. and the officers were elected in Tokyo, on April 12, 1982. First President was Hitoshi ISHIKAWA (Japan), Vice Presidents were Mahalingam MAHADEVAN (Malaysia), Burton G.BURTON-BRADLEY (Papua-New Guinea), and General Secretary was Sueharu TSUTSUI (Japan). Five years before this, the preparation of associating the Asian Chapter of ICPM was started by delegates of participants from Asian countries at the 4^<th> World Congress of the ICPM held in Kyoto, Japan, September 5-9, 1977. The First Congress of the Asian Chapter of ICPM was held by President, Professor Yujiro IKEMI in Tokyo, May 19-20, 1984. Chief members in the beginning stage were Yujiro IKEMI, Hitoshi ISHIKAWA, Sueharu TSUTSUI, Taisaku KATSURA, Tetsuya NAKAGAWA, Hiroyuki SUEMATSU, Jinichi SUZUKI, Ziro KANEKO, Yuichiro GOTO, Shigeaki HINOHARA, Kazuo HASEGAWA etc., famous psychosomatists in Japan, and Hsien RIN (Taiwan), Seock Young KANG (Korea), Amarendra Narayan SINGH (Canada), Mahalingam MAHADEVAN (Malaysia), Burton BURTON-BRADLEY (Papua-New Guinea) etc., famous psychosomatists in Asian countries. Thereafter academic congresses of the Asian Chapter of ICPM (ICPM-AC) from the 2^<nd> to the 9^<th> have been held approximately every two years in Japan or in other Asaian countries namely India, Malaysia, Taiwan, South-Korea, China, and renewal congresses with changed name of the Asian College of Psychosomatic Medicine (ACPM) from the 10^<th> to the 14^<th> have been held in Taiwan, Okinawa (Japan), Australia, South-Korea and China. Present President of the Official Board of ACPM is Professor Chiharu Kubo, the Director of Kyushu University Hospital, Japan. The 14^<th> Congress was held by President, Professor ZHAO Zhifu in Beijing, China, on September 10-12, 2010. The next academic congress of the 15^<th> ACPM will be held by President, Professor Tserenkhuugyin LKHAGVASUREN in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, August 24-26, 2012. During about 30 years after establishment, participating countries have been widely expanded to Asian-Oceanic countries including Mongolia, Micronesia, Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka. The main theme of each congress from the 1^<st> to the 14^<th> is very attractive with various full variety, and presentations also cover a wide range such as not only general psychosomatic disorders, panic disorders, depression, culturebounded syndrome etc. from the viewpoint of psychosomatics, but also fundamental experimental researches, public health researches, psychotherapies, oriental medicine, complementary alternative medicine, social psychosomatics, and spiritualities etc. It is expected that ACPM should pay more attention to the importance of mental health which will create and improve somatic health, that is, to "health promotion" which generates health by leveling up mental health on the basis of psychosomatic correlative mechanisms (mind/body relationship) of psycho-neuroendocrinoimmunomodulation. Prevention of psychosomatic disorders is also very important in Asian-Oceanic areas from the psychosomatic and cultural viewpoints. Above all things, an awareness of existential authentic health is a sure way to bring forth healthy longevity and psychosomatic well-being in life. To pursue happiness with well-being subjectively, objectively and ecologically will be the most important purpose of ACPM in the future.
