Japanese Society of Human-Environment System is a richly diverse society where specialists from a wide range of fields related to humans and living environments gather. It is also a small but very active society. We have held annual conference "Symposium on Human-Environment System," as the core of our activities, where lively discussions are held across disciplines and academic and technical exchanges take place. At the same time, we publish two kinds of journals. One is "Human and Living Environment" (in Japanese), and the other is "Journal of the Human-Environment System" (in English). Through these journals, we disseminate our research results both domestically and internationally. In addition, we have conducted an annual selection for the Best Paper Award and the Best Encouragement Award to recognize outstanding researchers, and we have established a scholarship system for the development of young researchers.

The first symposium on human-thermal environment system, which is the origin of our society, was held in 1977. Researchers from a variety of fields, including medical science, clothing science, mechanical engineering, architecture, and sports science, gathered and engaged in enthusiastic discussions. The name of the conference was changed from "Human-Thermal-Environment System" to "Human-Environment System" as the issues discussed expanded, and in 1994 our society became a permanent academic organization called the "Conference on Human-Environment System". In 2003, the name was changed to "The Society for Human-Environment System" to further its development. Inspired by the enthusiasm of the symposium in its early days, researchers and engineers who have come before us have continued the society with passion, transcending the barriers of affiliation and research fields, such as universities, companies, and government offices.

The purpose of our society is to "organically combine knowledge and technology in a wide range of fields related to humans and the living environment, systematize them as a human-living environment system, strive to realize a living environment in which people can be healthy and comfortable, and contribute to the improvement of people's quality of life." To date, our society has sought to: 1) examine the familiar living environment from the perspective of human characteristics and organically combine the results of research in many fields, such as physiology, hygiene, housing, and clothing; 2) evaluate various living environments based on an understanding of the actual conditions of various climates, regions, ethnic groups, and lifestyles on the earth; and 3) grasp the issues of the living environment and the global environment broadly and systematically as a system, rather than discuss them in isolation. It is an important mission of our society to contribute to the improvement of people's quality of life by constructing academic and technological systems related to human beings and the living environment from a new perspective, through deep investigation of human beings and the living environment, and by looking at knowledge and technology related to clothing, bedding, housing, buildings, air conditioning systems, automobiles, towns and cities from the human side. This will only be possible through organic research and technological exchanges that transcend the barriers of discipline, affiliation, and age. We will devise ways to further deepen the "creation from diversity" that we have always valued, and we will work together with the board members, trustees, and members to strive for a better society. I would like to ask for your cooperation in this endeavor.