MINUTES
4TH JOINT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE US-JAPAN COOPERATIVE CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM

Miyako Hotel Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
May 31 - June 1, 1982

The Joint Steering Committee of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program was convened on May 31 - June 1, 1982, at the Miyako Hotel Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. In attendance were the following members of the Committee: Drs. Haruo Sugano, Yoshio Sakurai, Takashi Sugimura, Yuichi Yamamura, and Mr. Kichimasa Soda representing the JSPS Steering Committee; Mr. Nagahide Onozawa, Mr. Iwao Abe, and Ms. Toshiko Takeuchi from the JSPS staff. The NCI Steering Committee was represented by Drs. Gregory T. O'Conor, Richard A. Adamson, Arthur A. Levine, Robert W. Miller, and Robert R. Omata.
Dr. Sugano called the meeting to order and asked Mr. Soda to make the opening remarks. Mr. Soda warmly welcomed the NCI delegation after a long journey over the Pacific Ocean. He stated that the JSPS delegation enjoyed the meeting held in historic Annapolis in June 1981, and appreciated the hospitality and friendly, informal meeting. He reported that the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program was considered to be very successful and has earned a very high reputation in the Japanese scientific community. The JSPS greatly appreciates the excellent cooperation of the Program Coordinators and Advisors from both sides and the high productivity and constructiveness of the Program itself.
He stated that this meeting is being held at the midpoint of the second 5-year segment of the Agreement of Cooperation. He reported that the JSPS was operating with a very tight budget during this past year, as well as for the coming fiscal year. There has been no additional funds forthcoming for FY 1982-83. He expressed his hope that the Program will be able to continue to maintain the high degree of excellence as in the past years. He requested the Joint Steering Committee give some thought to the program and policy changes which might be adopted, beginning in 1984, to structure the third 5-year period of the Program. He looked forward to the stimulating ideas and program planning to be discussed informally at this meeting.
Dr. Sugano expressed his great pleasure to hold this meeting in Tokyo in a very quiet environment, only a short distance from the center of this great metropolis. He stated that he personally enjoyed the last meeting in Annapolis very much and hoped that the American delegation would enjoy this meeting in Tokyo. He welcomed Drs. Adamson and Levine as the two newest members of the NCI Steering Committee and expressed his appreciation for their attendance. He hoped that during the recess and informal discussions that some thought be given on plans for the future extension of the cooperation. He expressed his thanks to Mr. Soda, the JSPS staff, and the NCI staff for their assistance in accomplishing the missions and objectives of the Program.
Dr. O'Conor, in his opening remarks, expressed his appreciation to Mr. Soda, the JSPS staff, and the NCI staff for the continued interest in supporting the Program and arranging this meeting. He stated that the Program has beared abundant fruits since the first informal meeting which Dr. Sugano and he attended in 1973 in Hakone.
Dr. O'Conor then introduced Dr. Adamson as the NCI Program Coordinator for Etiology and Dr. Levine as NCI Program Coordinator for Treatment. He reported that the National Cancer Institute now has nine active bilateral programs with a tenth agreement in the planning stages. He was most appreciative of the fact that the sponsorship of this Program by the JSPS and NCI has given the minimum amount of administrative problem and it has been a highly productive and excellent cooperation. He reported that the NCI has an active international program with several Latin American countries through the auspices of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
He stated that the U.S.-Japan Program was the second oldest cooperative program with greatest breadth of active areas of research, which have been consistently productive. The exchange of scientists has been very active and continually improving the interaction among scientists on both sides of the ocean. Unfortunately, it has been problematic and rather difficult to get American scientists to come to Japan; however, the experiences of the scientists from both sides have been extremely rewarding. He complemented Dr. Miller, who is a veteran of the U.S.-Japan Cancer Program, as well as other Japanese and American cooperation, for his efforts and interest in keeping this Program very active. He thanked Drs. Adamson and Levine for taking on additional new responsibilities as Program Coordinators for Etiology and Treatment, respectively. He also thanked Dr. Omata for his administrative assistance as well as expressing his appreciation to the Program Coordinators on both sides. He was very grateful to all for their dedicated endeavors for the success of this Program. He felt that it would be timely to discuss informally the various aspects of the next 5-year continuation of this Cooperation and to briefly discuss the various possibilities to maintain the excellence of the Program during the second session.
At the request of Dr. Miller, Mr. Soda explained that the JSPS currently administers formal cooperative programs with 26 countries, including 38 different institutions or govern-mental agencies. There are currently four different cooperative programs between Japan and the U.S. He stated that new programs have been developed with several Southeast Asian countries and that there have been good contacts with the Eastern European and other socialist countries.
Dr. Miller stated that the JSPS and NCI had programs with some of the same countries. He said that several NCI bilateral programs were established at the request of the other countries. In the case of the Eastern European bloc countries, formal government-to-government cooperative agreements facilitated travel for Americans in those countries. In the case of the United Kingdom, there has been no need to promulgate an informal agreement because of past relationships and that many of the exchanges and meetings were supported from private funds.
Dr. O'Conor reported that the NCI supported a very active program in Uganda several years ago, as well as in Ghana. These special projects have now been terminated. He stated that it may be possible to establish formal contacts with the Organization of African Unity to initiate cooperative programs. Dr. Miller believes that many European and Asian countries have focused their attention to Japan and the U.S. for association in science and technology because of their preeminence.
Drs. Adamson and Sugimura were asked to present their annual report on the Etiology Program Area (see Annual Report for Etiology). They discussed the accomplishments of the two meetings supported by the Etiology Program and the collaborative research activities of the seven Exchange Scientists. Highlights of the two meetings are in preparation for publish-ing in highly regarded journals.
Dr. O'Conor commented that the most significant outgrowth from the workshop on liver cell cultures was the definition of three different types of cell population in hepatocytes which can be maintained as in vitro cultures. These cells could be useful in screening environ-mental carcinogens and also be used to study the metabolism of different types of chemical compounds. A Japanese scientist is interested in the metabolism of various amino acids in the liver and these cell types may be particularly useful to study the differences in cellular metabolism. There are indications that the hepatoma cells produce cell growth factors and it would be interesting to isolate and identify these factors.
Dr. Miller asked what significance the studies on liver cell cultures had to human liver cancer. Dr. Sugimura related that the comparative analysis of metabolism in hepatocytes and hepatoma cells would be an interesting investigation. In addition, liver cell metabolism in relation to carcinogenesis of urinary bladder cancer will be studied, since new techniques may solve some problems associated with liver metabolism of potential bladder carcinogens. Dr. Adamson added that human liver can activate or deactivate potential carcinogens, implicating the inactivation of free radicals in toxic substances. It is very worthwhile to use human cell systems to screen for potential carcinogens.
Dr. Miller then asked what happens to known carcinogens in the cells, such as aflatoxin, and the possibilities of studying the action of promoters, e.g., oral contraceptions. Dr. Sugimura replied by stating that liver cell cultures can be important in studying the activity of promoters. Dr. Levine asked whether the effect of transcription could be studied to answer the role of initiator and promoter activity in the cells. There presently are no human systems being studied. Dr. Sugimura reported that transcription is usually "switched off." He cited the example of a strain of mouse developed at the National Cancer Center Research Institute which has no serum albumin. The albumin gene is usually "switched off or on" in the normal mouse but the unique strain. appears to have no gene which controls albumin synthesis and apparently it is not related to the alpha fetoprotein "switch-off' gene. He further stated that the possibility of the existence of a "proactivator" should be looked at in the carcinogenesis process in order to study cancer prevention.
Dr. Adamson presented a brief summary of the seminar on "Intestinal Metaplasia and Stomach Cancer." The general consensus of the meeting was that there is a close association between intestinal metaplasia and stomach cancer. Dr. Sugimura stated that discussions were held on the function of the stroma. It has been reported that the stroma of intestinal metaplasia is different from the normal intestinal stroma and that the formation of intestinal metaplasia is a very complex process. Biochemical markers can be studied in the intestinal metaplasia and in the incomplete intestinal metaplasia. The incomplete form may be a pre-phase or a postphase of an intestinal metaplasia or a precancerous phase. Dr. O'Conor stated that Dr. Sakahara's study was quite important since there is evidence of stroma involvement. He asked whether there is any ongoing study on the genesis of precursor lesions. Dr. Adamson stated that action of nitrosoguanidine, nitrosoamine, and high concentration of sodium chloride has been studied. Dr. Sugimura reported that the methyl-nitrosoguanidine and sodium chloride effect has been studied simultaneously and seem to be related to water consumption. These studies are being continued but no definite conclusion has been reached. It was reported that nitrosoamide is an interesting compound. Thus far, soy sauce does not contain amines or amides; however, it has been shown that soy sauce plus nitrites do produce nitrosoamides. Vitamin C has a very high potential for studying prevention as well as the effect of poor diets. He also reported that experimental and clinical observations in Japan show that the population in Iwate Prefecture has low incidence of intestinal metaplasia; while in Akita Prefecture, a neighboring area with high sodium chloride consumption, the population shows high incidence of intestinal metaplasia.
The Chairman thanked Drs. Adamson and Sugimura for their presentations and the stimulating discussion.
After a short recess, Dr. Yamamura was then asked to present the annual report of the Biology and Diagnosis Program Area, since Dr. Terry was unable to attend the meeting. He presented a brief summary of the annual report (see Annual Report for Biology and Diagnosis) and also briefly reported on the accomplishments of the Exchange Scientists.
Since Dr. Yamamura may not be present for the second session of the Joint Steering Committee Meeting, he presented the future plans for the meetings during the Fiscal Year 1982-83.
A workshop on "Genetic Transfer" is being organized by Drs. G. F. Vande Woude and Y. Okada in Hawaii in January 1983. Then the tumor immunology meeting is being planned by Drs. Richard Hodes and Toshiyuki Hamaoka for November 1982 in Osaka, Japan.
He reported that a proposal for a meeting on automated cytology was received by him and Dr. Terry, which was submitted by Drs. Myron Melamed and Yoshio Tenjin. This proposal was discussed by the Joint Committee, primarily based on the current status and the future of automated cytology. There is ongoing activity on flow cytometry and image processing and it is the hope of the investigators to use the systems for clinical application in the future.
Dr. O'Conor asked about the technical advances made in the field of automated cytology and the significant contributions. He reported that the American pathologists are not ready to accept the system at its present stage because of high inaccuracy of the present system. It was reported that in Japan, automated cytology is being used only as an experimental technology, since several laboratories using the present systems reported a high rate of false negatives. Dr. O'Conor reported that the American flow system is still experimental and the investigators have not progressed very rapidly. Dr. Sugano stated that the image processing system in Japan is being used to screen for cervical cancer but then again the inaccuracy of the system has been holding back further progress. Discussion on the approval of sponsoring this proposal was postponed until the next session.
Dr. Miller asked about the usefulness and purpose of the public symposium which followed the seminar on "Cell Interaction and Cancer," held in Kyoto in November 1981. It was reported by Drs. Yamamura and Sugano that the young Japanese scientists who attended the public symposium were exposed to the latest advances in molecular biology research related to cancer. There is a need in Japan for a broad base in the field of molecular biology. They also believe that such a public meeting on topics on cancer research is needed to educate the scientific and lay communities of the recent advances in biomedical research. A public meeting held once every 2 or 3 years would not be a bad idea to educate the public, particularly in Japan.
The meeting was recessed for lunch.
The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by Dr. O'Conor. He asked Drs. Sakurai and Levine to present the annual report for the Treatment Program Area.
Dr. Sakurai gave a brief summary of the activities of the Treatment Program and emphasized the progress made in several areas. There had been exchange of new drugs and information in drug development with better and deeper understanding in both countries, particularly in the development of combined modality treatment. It is noteworthy to point out that a workshop on the "Treatment of Bladder Cancer" was held in Tokyo, resulting in a multi-disciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. The cooperative project on the treatment of gastric cancer was continuing between the Northern California Oncology Group and a group of Japanese oncologists.
Dr. Sakurai warmly welcomed Dr. Levine as the new Program Coordinator to replace Dr. John Douros, who has taken a position with Bristol Laboratories. Dr. Levine responded by expressing his pleasure to attend this meeting.
Dr. Levine began with a brief statement of the many changes that have taken place in the Division of Cancer Treatment. He stated that Dr. Bruce Chabner was appointed as Acting Director of the Division of Cancer Treatment; Drs. Douros and Stephen Carter have left or are leaving their respective positions at NCI and the Northern California Cancer Program to take responsible positions in the pharmaceutical industry. He also reported that Dr. John Driscoll is heading the Drug Development Program, while Dr. Daniel Hoth will be in charge of Phase I and II drug testing program. Dr. Chabner has asked Dr. Levine to act as coordinator for all international activities of the Division, therefore, he will be the NCI Program Coordinator for Treatment of the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Program.
He expressed his own views that the Treatment Program was very successful and that the annual meetings included both preclinical and clinical aspects of cancer treatment. He feels that there are potentials for more cooperation with new collaborative initiatives to be started in the future. The exchange of scientists in the past has been effective and future exchanges should prove to be very worthwhile, particularly in the area of Phase I and Phase II drug studies. The exchange of new drugs and new screening models should be most productive in the future.
Dr. Levine stated that there is considerable interest to study the genetics of drug sensitivity and drug resistance, idiosycratic effects of drugs, the problem of mutation rate of tumor cells, and the kinetics of drug action. He feels that it is important to find clusters of scientists in certain research institutions to investigate these problems.
Dr. Levine also mentioned that the Division of Cancer Treatment has been discussing the possibility of establishing an NCI Liaison Office with an NCI scientist in Tokyo.
Dr. Sugimura asked Dr. Levine about drug resistance in tumor cells. It was discussed that resistance might be due to gene amplification, clonal emergence or membrane transport of the drug.
Dr. Adamson mentioned that in lung cancer treatment, several types of drugs are used. There is a hypothesis that drug resistance might be due to the difficulty that cancer cells, which have been exposed to different types of antitumor compound, may or may not respond to certain effective drugs. Could this be due to gene amplification? Dr. Levine said that there are other possibilities for drug resistance, such as enzyme modification, which could be due to gene amplification; change in membrane transport; or drug metabolism. The assay for cell susceptibility can be very useful in screening for efficacious drugs.
Dr. Sakurai reported that the Cancer Chemotherapy Center has been investigating cell resistance to Adriamycin. It has been found that cell resistance to vincristine and methotrexate can be overcome in a laboratory system.
Dr. Sakurai reported that the cooperative study on chemotherapy of gastric cancer, which includes 11 Japanese and 9 American hospitals, there has been very little racial differences in patient response to the treatment protocols being used.
Dr. O'Conor asked about the value of the workshop on "Bladder Cancer Treatment" which was held last fall in Japan. In the United States treatment of bladder cancer with chemotherapy and combined modalities was progressing quite slowly. The disease is very complex with many variables such as genetics, drug sensitivity, and resistance. It was brought out by others that the workshop was worthwhile in that common terminology in pathology, as well as staging have been adopted. Also, cooperative studies on treatment are being planned by the Japanese and American oncologists.
After a brief recess, Drs. Miller and Sugano were asked to present the annual report for the Interdisciplinary Programs Area.
Dr. Miller began by reporting that during these past two years, subjects for the meetings were disease oriented. In March 1981, a workshop on the "Differences in Lymphatic Diseases" was held and in March 1982 the workshop on "Neural Crest Tumors" was held. Another special workshop on "Adult T cell Leukemia/Lymphoma" was held in March 1982. He reported that the discussions at the lymphatic diseases meeting led to the workshop on adult T cell leukemia. The recent workshop on neural crest tumors was particularly successful in that participants from several disciplines created a good, synergistic activity and discussions. The participants then set up a hypothesis on the origins of neural crest tumors, which will be published to stimulate and elicit comments and critiques from among interested investigators.
Dr. O'Conor asked what are the direct implications to cancer and genetic disease. Dr. Miller responded by explaining that there are several genetic diseases which do not manifest themselves clearly; and therefore, physicians should look for early indications or symptoms and complications which are not readily apparent. Some biochemical methods and a genetic linkage study may be useful to detect the defects before manifesting the diseases per se. It is difficult to respond as to where these early findings will lead to in treating neoplastic diseases.
Dr. Sugano presented his views on the workshop on adult T cell leukemia (ATL), which was organized by Dr. O'Conor and himself. This meeting was an outgrowth of some of the discussions initiated at the lymphocytic diseases meeting in March 1981. The subject of ATL has been very controversial and competitive between scientists in Japan and the U.S. The final outcome of the meeting was excellent. The two groups of investigators had independently isolated and identified retroviruses which appear to be very closely related or indentical, i.e. ATL virus and the human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV). The Japanese group included scientists from Kyoto, Kyushu, and Tokyo, who investigated clusters of ATL patients in the southern and southwestern Japan. The NCI scientists identified the ATL virus to be closely related to the HTLV retrovirus. The highlights of this meeting will be published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in October 1982.
As the result of this workshop, a new dimension has developed in retrovirus research. It also resulted in better cooperation in a very fast moving research area. Several other joint publications will be resulting from this meeting.
Dr. O'Conor stated that future cooperative research on lymphomas will bring out the differences and similarities in different types of lymphoma.
The coordinators were thanked for their presentations and the meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m. The JSPS hosted a very sumptuous dinner at Happoen for the NCI delegation.
The business session was reconvened by Dr. O'Conor at 9:00 a.m. on June 1, 1 982. He thanked the JSPS and the JSPS Steering Committee for the delightful and exceptional dinner in a very traditional and exquisite location.
The discussions were focused on the program plans for the coming year, June 1982 through March 1983.
Dr. Sugimura and Adamson presented the plans for the Etiology Program Area:
1. Seminar on "New Studies on the Etiology of Lung Cancer"
Honolulu, Hawaii, between January and March 1983
Organizers: Drs. Herbert S. Rosenkranz, Ernest Wynder, and Takashi Sugimura
There is a dramatic increase of lung cancer in Japan and it has been projected that by the year 2000, the incidence of lung cancer will exceed the number of cases of stomach cancer in Japan. The subjects of prevention, passive smoking, occupational hazards, and carcinogens in diesel exhaust will be discussed. Future studies on chromosomal aberrations, "side-stream" smoking problems, dosimetry, and occupational problems will be explored.
2. Seminar on "Dietary Carcinogens and Food Processing"
Boston, Massachusetts, January or March 1983
Organizers: Drs. Takashi Sugimura and Steven Tannenbaum
The subjects will include nitroso compounds in foods, other carcinogens formed during food processing, benzene in fresh fruits and other carcinogens naturally occurring in foods, detection of carcinogens, and preventing the formation of mutagens and carcinogens in foods.
3. Seminar on "The Nature of the Problem of Double Cancer or Second Cancers"
Tokyo, Japan or Hawaii, January or March 1983
Organizers: Drs. Richard Adamson and Keiichi Suemasu
The problem of double or second cancers is of concern in drug development. Studies on new drugs and interspecies correlation have been of considerable interest. Subjects to be discussed will include dosing data on new drugs, such as cis-platinum, alkylating agents, and other currently used drugs; potential dangers of alkylating agents, risks of combination and adjuvant therapy and combined modality; latent effects of carcinogenesis and secondary effects of drug treatment.
The problem of double cancer is a worldwide problem and particularly influences the development of new cancer drugs. There has been recent work on finding or developing drugs with both lower toxicity and mutagenic activity. There is need for investigations on high-risk populations. Also, there is a need of enlisting basic and clinical investigators to collaborate on studies of these problems.
4. Scientist Exchanges: Candidates from the U.S. and Japan were considered. The Joint Steering Committee reviewed and approved all of the three proposed meetings to be sponsored under the Etiology Program Area and tentatively approved the exchange of scientists.
Dr. Yamamura presented the program plans for the Biology and Diagnosis Program Area:
1. Seminar on "Gene Transfer"
Honolulu, Hawaii, January 17-19, 1983
Organizers: Drs. George Vande Woude, Ira Pastan, Yoshio Okada, and Yoji Ikawa The program will include discussions on cell transformation, cell fusion, and transfer of genetic fragments in tumor cells. During the discussions on the purpose and objectives of this meeting, it was brought out that the exchange of scientists might be more effective than holding a large meeting. However, since the topics of this meeting cover a very broad area of tumor and molecular biology, a group meeting of scientists might be a more effective way to exchange information in the fast moving areas of research covering a wide range of interests and input. It was also brought out that discussions on recent advances will lead to collaborative research activities between scientists.
2. Seminar on "Tumor Immunology"
Osaka, Japan, November 1982
Organizers: Drs. Richard Hodes and Toshiyuki Hamaoka
Topics to be discussed will include immunogenetic aspects of tumor immunology, tumor associated antigens, genetic mechanisms, cell to cell interaction, helper and suppressor T cells, monoclonal technology, and exchange of materials and areas for collaborative studies.
3 . Workshop on "Automated Cytology"
USA, March 1983
Organizers: Drs. Myron Melamed and Yoshio Tenjin
The need for a meeting on automated cytology was discussed at some length, concerning progress made in the field. The same group met in March 1982 in Japan. The Joint Steering Committee recommended that this meeting be deferred until the following year due to limited funds and need for a stronger justification to sponsor this workshop for the second consecutive year.
4. Scientist Exchanges: Candidates from Japan and the U.S. were tentatively approved.
The Joint Steering Committee reviewed and approved the two meetings on "Gene Transfer" and "Tumor Immunology" for this coming year.
Drs. Sakurai and Levine presented the program plans for the Treatment Program Area.
1. Meeting on "Radiation Oncology" Kyoto and Chiba, Japan, October 2-5, 1982
Organizers: Drs. Mitsuyuki Abe and Glenn Sheline
Topics to be discussed will include advances in cancer treatment by radiation therapy; problems of highly radioresistant tumor; exploration of methods for biological and physical treatment; high energy LET radiation; evaluation of past and current collaborative research; hyperthermia and other methods in radiation oncology. The discussion and exchange of information would be beneficial for both sides
2. Workshop on "New Drugs and New Treatment Protocols"
Bethesda, Maryland, November 1982
Organizers: Drs. Yoshio Sakurai and Arthur Levine
Discussions will include the exchange of ideas and clinical data of current collaborative efforts; combined modalities; clinical evaluation of new drugs; effective organization and management of clinical protocols; training of nonmedical personnel; new clinical material for evaluation; new strategies of randomization; Phase I and II drug studies; and racial differences in response to treatment.
3. Symposium on "Genetic Sensitivity to Drugs"
Hawaii, Fall 1983
Meeting would include topics on drug tolerance; idiosyncratic responses; dosage and response; drug resistance of tumor cells; and animal model systems to study drug sensitivity and resistance.
4. Scientist Exchange: The three proposed candidates were tentatively approved.
All of the proposed meetings were reviewed and approved by the Joint Steering Committee.
Drs. Sugano and Miller reported on the future program plans for the Interdisciplinary Programs Area.
1. Workshop on "Lymphatic Diseases"
Seattle, Washington, September 6-7, 1982
This meeting is a sequel to the two previous workshops held on lymphatic diseases and lymphomas. The various lymphatic diseases will be discussed from interdisciplinary aspects, including epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, and treatment. The meeting is being held just prior to the 13th International Cancer Congress and it will draw a rather large number of participants and observers. This meeting was approved by the Joint Steering Committee.
2. Meeting on "Human Liver Cancer" Honolulu, Hawaii, January 20-22, 1983
Organizers: Drs. Hans Popper and Wataru Mori
This meeting was previously approved, but postponed due to inadequate planning. The agenda has been revised and will include both experimental and clinical investigations of liver carcinogenesis. Environmental factors will also be discussed.
3. Scientist Exchanges: All of the proposed candidates were tentatively approved. Mr. Soda and Dr. Omata agreed to write the minutes of this meeting and also to edit the annual reports in order that they may be published in the near future. The Program Coordinators were requested to reedit their annual reports and submit them to Dr. Omata at the earliest possible time.
Drs. O'Conor and Sugano reported that Dr. Max Essex had written a very comprehensive report summarizing the meeting on "Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma," which was held in Seattle in March 1982. Dr. O'Conor stated that the report will be submitted to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). Note: it was learned later than the report will be published in the October 1982 issue of the journal.
The dates for the next Joint Steering Committee Meeting was brought up for discussion. It was agreed that the next meeting will be held in Maui, Hawaii, either on June 9-10 or 13-14, 1983.
Discussions on the next 5-year continuation of this Program was brought up. It was generally agreed that the present structure and the contents of each Program Area were excellent and should be continued. Further discussions will be continued until the next Joint Steering Meeting.
In his closing remarks, Dr. O'Conor expressed his appreciation to Mr. Soda, the JSPS staff, the Program Coordinators for their excellent cooperation, and contributions to the excellent program activities. He stated that he looks forward to working with them in the future.
Dr. Sugano also thanked the members of the Joint Steering Committee and he personally enjoyed the informal, constructive and productive discussions. He hoped that all participants enjoyed their stay in Tokyo.
Mr. Soda expressed his appreciation to the Committee and stated that he very much regrets that this would be his last meeting due to his retirement in March 1983.