BioJapan 2004 was held at the New Takanawa Prince Hotel and the Takanawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo, over three days from Tuesday, September 28 to Thursday, September 30. We were honored once more with the pleasure of the company of Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi. BioJapan is Japan's biggest and longest-established comprehensive international biotechnology-related event, which was first held in 1986. BioJapan 2004 was organized by seven biotechnology-related organizations - Japan Bioindustry Association (JBA), Society for Techno-innovation of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (STAFF), Japan Health Sciences Foundation (JHSF), Japan Biological Informatics Consortium (JBiC), Japan Association of Bioindustries Executives (JABEX), Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and the Kinki Bioindustry Development Organization (KBDO) - and co-hosted by Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. Thanks to the full cooperation of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and strong supports from overseas organizations such as embassies, participants represented from government institutions, bio-clusters, industries and universities in 24 countries and regions around the world, including those from countries in North America, Europe and Asia. A total of 19,064 people attended the event.

1. Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony began at 09:30 on the first day, with attendance of His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi, Honorary Chairman of BioJapan 2004, and Her Imperial Highness Princess Hitachi. Other special guests were Yasuyuki Eda, Parliamentary Secretary for Economy, Trade and Industry and Koji Omi, Chairman of the Diet Members' Promotion Alliance for Life Sciences. More than 700 participants attended the ceremony.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Teruhiko Beppu, Chairman of JBA, spoke on behalf of the BioJapan 2004 Organizing Committee. In addition to explaining the main aims of BioJapan 2004 and expressing his gratitude to the participants, he raised the curtain on the event with an energetic address to those present. He said, "As the prediction that the 21st century will be the century of the life sciences is being realized, the question of how to promote biotechnology research and development and its commercialization has become a global issue, transcending the boundaries of a single company or country. In the future, each company that has its own original technology will need to engage in international collaboration in order to meet shared goals on a global scale. This can be likened to symbiosis in biology."
Following this, His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi said, "For some time to come, in order to ensure that we maintain our current society or create an even more affluent society, it will be necessary to resolve global problems on 'health', 'food' and 'the environment'. Biotechnology should be a key technology to achieve this. I hope that BioJapan 2004 will provide a forum to exchange opinions about how to utilize the ever-expanding biological information for the global societies and human beings, and to deepen the understanding of biotechnology among a variety of people. In addition, it is my fervent hope that this event will create many new encounters and opportunities, and that biotechnology will contribute to peace and welfare in the world."
Next, Yasuyuki Eda, Parliamentary Secretary for Economy, Trade and Industry, said, "While the moves toward economic recovery should be so much assured, it is also necessary to take further steps toward new developments in Japan's economy and society. It is important to create competitive industrial clusters through innovation. I believe that biotechnology holds one of the keys to this. By considering a big change in the environment surrounding biotechnology, BioJapan 2004 truly is a well-timed event."
Finally, Koji Omi, Chairman of the Diet Members' Promotion Alliance for Life Sciences, delivered a message of congratulations, saying, "The development of biotechnology, which will have an impact on human life and the global environment, is essential for all our future. In order for Japan to promote biotechnology, make an international contribution in post-genome research, and develop bioindustry that will build an affluent international economy and society, it is crucial that industry, academia and government should collaborate in a strategic manner. I hope that we will be able to discover measures needed for this over the next three days."

2. Tour of the Event by Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi

After attending the opening ceremony, Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi spent about an hour being shown around the exhibition and the citizen's programs by Mr Beppu. Takahisa Ota, who was in charge of the latter, explained the recycling-based society of the Edo period (17th-19th centuries) and various issues relating to biotechnology and the people of today. Their Highnesses listened to this with great interest. They then moved on to the exhibition hall, visiting the booths set up by such companies as Ajinomoto, Suntory, Meiji Seika and Shimadzu, as well as touring the pavilions of various countries, including the US, the UK and France, and cities such as Saito (Osaka) and Yokohama. The representatives of the exhibiting companies and countries introduced their main products and bio-business in their own companies and countries. Their Highnesses showed great enthusiasm from start to finish, handling the products and asking questions.

3. Keynote Speeches

Following the opening ceremony, the keynote speeches took place.
First of all, under the chairmanship of Katsuhiro Utada (Chairman of JABEX), Charles O. Holliday Jr., Chairman of the Board and CEO of DuPont, USA, gave a speech entitled Biotechnology: Progress and Promise. He explained the two major fields DuPont is promoting the use of biotechnology; "Agriculture & Nutrition" and "Industry, Energy & Environment". Noting the rapid expansion in the worldwide production of genetically modified crops, he talked about the company's initiatives aimed at promoting greater public understanding of such crops, involving such measures as ensuring safety and disclosing information.
Next, Herwig Schloegl, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), spoke on the theme Toward a Bioeconomy. Hatsuo Aoki (Chairman of JPMA) served as chairman in this part of the session. The speech began with an overview of the OECD and an introduction of its activities relating to biotechnology. Next, Mr. Schloegl stated that biotechnology will be the driver for sustainable growth and development, including such important fields as health and food. In addition, he said that trust is essential in order to promote understanding among the public. With regard to the use of the biotechnology in industries, he told the audience that these sectors are broad-ranging in terms of their environmental and cost-related aspects, so policies are important, including those concerning investment.
Finally, with Takaharu Hatanaka (President of STAFF) serving as chairman, Ichiro Kitasato, President of JBA, delivered his speech on From the Dawn to the Future of Bioindustry. First of all, he gave an overview of the history of bioscience, which was the cornerstone of the present post-genome era, and the achievements of Robert Koch and Shibasaburo Kitasato, the speaker's grandfather. He said that it would be possible by the use of biotechnology to open up the path toward a solution to the problems of global warming and an ageing society with a low birth rate, which could be an obstacle to Japan's accomplishment of sustainable economic development in the future. Those technologies include creation of a new health-related bioindustry that made use of biotechnology, or such changes in the industrial structure as the use of biomass or switching to bioprocesses. In addition, he said that it would be important to be aware of diversity in various areas, while ensuring that industry, government and academia cooperate together in the evolution of such fields, in the process of deploying them throughout society.

4. Welcome Reception

A grand welcome reception was held on the 28th, with the participation of more than 1,400 biotechnology researchers, representatives of related businesses and representatives of government ministries and agencies, including several hundred participants from overseas.
The reception began with greetings by Ichiro Kitasato, President of the BioJapan 2004 Organizing Committee. This was followed by messages of congratulations from the special guests; Yasuyuki Eda, Parliamentary Secretary for Economy, Trade and Industry; Koji Omi, Chairman of the Diet Members' Promotion Alliance for Life Sciences; Nariaki Nakayama, Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (speech delivered by a representative); Hidehisa Otsuji, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare (speech delivered by a representative); and Fusae Ota, Governor of Osaka Prefecture. In addition, a congratulatory telegram from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was read out.
After the greetings, the special guests, the keynote speakers and the members of the Organizing Committee commemorated the event by using mallets to break open a celebratory barrel of sake; Tadashi Hirata, Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee, then announced the toast and the convivial gathering kicked off in earnest.
The evening progressed amid a friendly atmosphere, with attractions including a performance of Japanese taiko drumming, and the gathering was brought to a close with a few words from Masanao Shimizu, Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee.

5. Symposium

The symposium, which took place at a total of eight venues, featured 65 sessions and 200 speeches. More than 5,000 people participated over the three days of the event. The Organizer's Symposium had 21 sessions (100 speeches), while the Sponsor's Symposium encompassed 44 companies and groups (100 speeches), including luncheon sessions. The structure of the Organizer's Symposium was extremely effective for gaining a full picture of the situation in the biotechnology fields at present. Events included the World Pharma-Summit, which featured panel discussions and introductions to the research and development strategies of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, sessions providing an overview of the biotechnology strategies of the four dragons of Northern Asia (Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan) and sessions featuring discussions of the strategies of various bio-ventures. In addition, there was an exhaustive range of sessions covering those biotechnology-related fields that are the focus of the greatest interest around the world, including pharmaceuticals and healthcare, industry and the environment, agriculture, functional foods, bioinformatics and nano-biotechnology, featuring details of the latest research and developments in those fields. Furthermore, at the Sponsor's Symposium, there were numerous presentations from foreign companies and bio-clusters, making it a wide-ranging forum for the dissemination and gathering of information.

6. Business Partnering

The business partnering sessions took place in two venues with 105 presentations by biotechnology companies and groups from 19 countries around the world, and a total of 1,042 participants. In addition, there were 151 business meetings between participating companies. Each presentation was around 20 minutes long, in principle. The breakdown of presentations by country was as follows: Japan 26; France 14; the US 13; Australia 10; the UK 9; Finland 7; Austria 6; South Korea 5; Canada 3; Germany 3; and one each from Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Taiwan, Cuba, Israel and Ireland. The main groups sending biotechnology companies to the event included JETRO (19), Hokkaido, Kanto and Kansai Bureaux of Economy, Trade and Industry (13), Scottish Development International (8), Australian Embassy (8), Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (7), Invest in France Agency (5), Austrian Embassy (5), and Bioindustry Association of Korea (4). The audience was sometimes sparse depending on schedules and themes, but presentations relating to cutting-edge technologies were positively bustling, with some attracting audiences in excess of 70 people - more than the capacity of the room.

7. Exhibition

354 companies and groups (including 172 companies and groups from 22 foreign countries) set up a total of 331 booths at the exhibition. The number of exhibitors was twice as attended the previous event in 2000, while there was a 60% increase in the number of booths
At the event in 2000, the business-related elements of the exhibition were brought to the fore and this year's event was a forum for the gathering and exchange of information with an even stronger business-related flavor. Participants from such foreign countries as the US, the UK, France, Finland and Australia set up large pavilions. With regard to exhibitors from Japan, the exhibits of local authorities and venture businesses that are devoting their energies to biotechnology were particularly impressive, as were the pavilions of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, which was exhibiting for the first time since it became an independent administrative institution, and JETRO, which supported a number of exhibits from Asian countries as part of its assistance to developing nations.
In addition, JBA provided an overview of its activities at the Organizer's Booth. 21 venture companies recruited from around the country as part of our bio-venture assistance project exhibited in the exhibition hall. These exhibitors were delighted, telling us that, "We have been able to meet people from a broad range of sectors around the world, engage in effective business partnering and see the future prospects for venture businesses." Most of the exhibitors said that it was an excellent opportunity to meet needs on both sides for their future business.

8. Citizen's Programs

The programs aimed at the general public were open for the whole three days of the event. There were six main areas: 1) a gallery presenting basic information about biotechnology, 2) a gallery featuring information about biotechnology in the Edo period, 3) a gallery focusing on biotechnology's role in our everyday lives in the future, 4) a biotechnology display on wall, 5) a "biotechnology gene class" and 6) a biotechnology-themed tea room. In addition to displays explaining in an easily understood way that biotechnology has close links to our everyday lives, there were also hands-on experience areas. There were almost 3,000 visitors, including middle school classes who visited as part of their extra-curricular activities. Furthermore, the "biotechnology class" and "biotechnology tea room" were extremely popular not only with the general public, but also with biotechnology experts. At the "biotechnology class", activities such as an experiment to extract genes from broccoli, using cooking tools found in the kitchen in the average home, and a seminar on construction of DNA by using beads were a big hit. In addition, in the "biotechnology tea room", the tasting of natto rolls made with genetically modified soybeans, which took place five times each day, were very popular and everyone was quite happy to eat the rolls; this shows the importance of "actually coming into contact with something and trying it".
Many of the visitors spoke of how "biotechnology now feels more familiar" and all the programs aimed at the general public undoubtedly achieved their initial aims.

9. Postscript

This year's BioJapan event was fortunate to be able to welcome many participants from overseas, including those from North America and Australia, and there were many bio-ventures as well as government representatives and bio-clusters, improving even upon the previous event and facilitating more active networking, including business partnering. The success resulted in part from the previous day's event, JETRO BIOLINK FORUM 2004, which was co-organized by JETRO and the BioJapan 2004 Organizing Committee as a role of forum for the interaction of bio-clusters around the world. In addition, the event featured that it emphasized the promotion of bio-ventures, by such means as providing grants to such companies to help with the cost of the exhibition booths, in response to the significant increase in the number of domestic bio-ventures in the last few years.
The venue for the next BioJapan event will shift to Pacifico Yokohama, and breaking the tradition of holding the event in an Olympic year, which has been the case until now, it will be held next year. BioJapan 2005 will take place over three days from Wednesday, September 7 to Friday, September 9, 2005.