Application Package

2

IFMSA-Japan and the MM2012 OC are

very motivated to hold March Meeting

2012, so we hope that you support our

candidature.

We welcome the IFMSA friends, and are

really looking forward to seeing you in

Japan, the land of hospitality. We

promise you it will be one of the most

unforgettable General Assemblies the

IFMSA has ever had.

Sincerely,

Motoko Kametani

President of Organizing Committee of

March Meeting 2012 Japan

Taiki Nabekura

President of IFMSA-Japan

After years of contribution to IFMSA, IFMSA-

Japan takes a big step forward and proudly

applies to host the March Meeting 2012 in

Japan. There are several reasons why Japan

is suitable for hosting the IFMSA March

Meeting 2012.

The first reason is that Japan is one of the

most fascinating countries blessed with

natural beauty, and with unique culture and

modern technology coexisting in harmony.

Japan has recently been attracting more

tourists from all over the world. Also, Japan is

one of the safest countries and we can

promise you a safe GA.

The second reason is our experience at the

international level. We have the great

experience of holding the Asia Pacific

Regional Meeting 2007 in Osaka, which was

very successful. Also, IFMSA-Japan has

constantly been sending delegates to IFMSA

GAs, and had 4 members in IFMSA Team of

Officials in our relatively short history.

Thirdly, there are strongly motivated OC

members with extensive experience in

managing and organizing events and we

have already been working hard to arrange

the March Meeting 2012 in Japan.

For the venue and accommodation, we

chose APA HOTEL & RESORT Tokyo Bay

Makuhari. It takes only 30 seconds to go to

the venue from the hotel. The hotel is

located in Makuhari area in Chiba

prefecture, which is near 2 international

airports. It is lovely venue and

accommodation so we are sure that you

can enjoy your stay in Japan.

Dear IFMSA friends,

It is a great honor and pleasure for us to

present our candidature for hosting the

61st IFMSA General Assembly March

Meeting 2012.

In 1961, the first Japanese medical student

joined the IFMSA General Assembly in

Israel. He was deeply impressed by strongly

motivated students from all over the world.

After coming back to Japan, he

established the Japan International

Medical Students’ Association (JIMSA), the

forerunner of the International Federation

of Medical Students’ Associations Japan

(IFMSA-Japan).

11 years ago, we had a structural

reformation to establish IFMSA-Japan,

aiming to show our commitment to the

international community of medical

students. Since then, IFMSA-Japan has

been active in various fields such as

student exchange, public health, human

rights and peace, medical education and

reproductive health both at the national

and the international level.

Now we are by far the largest nationwide

organization of Japanese medical students

with 51 local committees and still trying to

involve more students and medical

faculties for better representation of

medical students all over Japan.

Motivation letter

3

Invitation letters

Minister

Ministry of Health, Labour

and Welfare

4

President Japan Medical Association

5

Commissioner

Japan Tourism Agency Mayor

Chiba City

6

Venue

APA HOTEL & RESORT Tokyo Bay Makuhari is equipped with Tokyo Bay Makuhari Hall, which has the largest dining hall in Tokyo Bay Area.

The capacity of the main hall is maximum 3000 people (in the theater style) and it can be partitioned into up to 12 sections. The maximum capacity of each section is 180 people (in the theater style). The hotel also has a number of conference rooms, which can be used for SCO sessions, trainings, and theme events. The capacity of each room is 50 to 90people.

The most remarkable point is it takes only 10 seconds to the hall from the accommodation!

We have worked hard to find appropriate accommodation and venue for hosting the precious meeting in Japan.

We proudly announce that we made provisional contract with APA HOTEL & RESORT Tokyo Bay Makuhari located on the center of Chiba, which is near two international airports.

In addition, the hotel is 5 minutes’ walk from Kaihin

Makuhari station. Using a train, it takes 30 minutes to

the center of Tokyo, and 15 minutes to Tokyo Disney

Resort.

There are also various kinds of restaurants around

Kaihin Makuhari station.

Description of the facilities

7

APA HOTEL & RESORT Tokyo Bay Makuhari is the highest hotel building which stands 50 stories high designed by Kenzo Tange who is world-famous architect.

The guest room pavilion that fronts Tokyo Bay has 1001 rooms, all of which command ocean views.

Among those guest rooms, we have reserved 400 rooms for greeting 800 participants. Of course, there is free cable Internet access in all rooms.

As stated above, the hotel is very convenient in terms of transportation. It is 40 minutes away from Narita International Airport and 50 minutes away from Tokyo International Airport by car.

APA hotel has been working very hard to reduce conference CO2 emissions in order to conserve the environment.

We are confident that you can enjoy your stay in Japan!

Accommodation Other features:

-Large Public Bath

The entire 4th floor is a grand bath hall equipped with sauna and open-air bath. You can experience Japanese style spa and be refreshed.

-Convenience store

There is a convenience store in the hotel, which is open 24 hours a day. You can get most household goods, beverages, and snacks.

-Night view

You can enjoy fantastic night view from Sky Banquet on the 46th floor.

-Comics and internet café

There is a comics and Internet café on the 48th floor. There are 10,000 comics and various drinks. You can find there a lot of interesting Manga, one of the most unique cultures in Japan.

8

Makuhari, Chiba

Chiba is one of the closest cities to Tokyo, which takes about

40 minutes by train. And Chiba is home to one of the largest

convention facilities in the East. Chiba is the "town of flowers"

where you also can enjoy dining and shopping. Furthermore,

an outlet park and shopping center also welcome you.

The bay area Makuhari is located on 40 minutes away from

Narita Airport by bus.

This area can be enjoyed in a variety of ways: You can play

on the beach at Chiba Port Park and feel the atmosphere of

a port town at Chiba Port. In Inage-kaihin-koen Park, the

Aviation Memorial Park and the Floral Museum are open for

visiting, and you can also enjoy cycling with rented bicycles,

experiencing a yacht voyage at the public yacht harbor,

The are only a few of the activities in offer for this region,

there are many more. Furthermore, an outlet park, shopping

center, and large city hotel also welcome visitors.

-Narita-san Shinshoji Temple

The Nio gate, three-story

pagoda, and Shaka-do at

the temple have been

designated as important

cultural assets by the

national government. More

than 12 million people have

visited the temple annually.

Other highlights of Chiba

-Tokyo Disney resort

Tokyo Disney resort consists of Disneyland Park, Disney Sea Park, three hotels and a shopping complex. You can have fun, dine, shop, and much more at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Chiba city can provide special discount coupons to Tokyo Disney Resort (for use at Tokyo Disney Land and Tokyo Disney Sea) for participants of MM2012.

IFMSA 61st General Assembly

March Meeting 2012

9

For the theme of MM2012, the organizing committee

proposes Healthy Aging. This theme is chosen because

of its growing importance for all IFMSA members, as

future health professionals, in both the developed and

developing parts of the world.

Population Aging

The world is experiencing unprecedentedly rapid

population aging. This dynamic phenomenon is

affecting both developed and developing countries; as

it has already been a great challenge for the

developed world while 70% of all older people live in

low or middle-income countries. Although the

demographic trend varies in levels of intensity, patterns

and time frames, every country will face population

aging in the near future. Moreover, all of us will grow old

one day.

Population aging brings to society a necessity for

changes in social security systems, such as pension,

health care, and other social benefits. Health is one of

the major issues affecting aging population, as the

elderly people are more vulnerable to illnesses and

more likely to be marginalized in health care systems.

Why in MM2012 Japan?

Firstly, the population of Japan is aging faster than any

other country in the world. People aged 65 or older

accounted for 21 percent of the total population in

2005. The life expectancy rate is the highest in the world,

at 81.25 years of age as of 2006.

Secondly, it will have been 10 years since the United Nation’s

Second World Assembly on Aging, which was significant in

terms of policy making and planning action at a global level. It

will be a good opportunity for us to review what has been

done for the past decade. Also, the European Commission has

proposed that 2012 be designated as the “European Year for

Active Aging”. By having this theme in MM2012, the IFMSA can

work on this agenda through workshops and sessions, the

outcome of which can be worked on more by publishing

policy statements and working with different NGOs, or other

international institutions through the year.

Proposed topics regarding the theme

- Social security systems: pension,

health care, insurance

- Healthy lifestyle for better aging

- Longevity and advancement in

medicine and public health

- Sexual health of the elderly

- Aging population and low birth

rate

- Rehabilitation

- Intergenerational equity in health

care

- End-of-life care Image: Simon Howden

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Theme proposal

10

Post GA

We will promise you amazing and unforgettable Post

GA.

Many places in Japan offer tourists an opportunity to

immerse in natural beauty while also pursuing historical

and cultural interests. We have 3 world natural

heritage sites and 11 world cultural heritage sites in

Japan.

Nature & Climate: March is one of the most beautiful

and comfortable seasons in Japan. In the northern

part of Japan, you will see snow. In the southern part,

the weather is mild and you will see many kinds of

beautiful flowers, the most famous one is cherry

blossom.

Culture: Japan has traditional and very unique culture

like Kabuki, Sado (tea ceremony). Not only traditional

one but Japanese youth culture like Manga (comics)

and Anime is also very popular. Through Post GA, we

will show you our amazing culture.

Pre GA & Post GA

Pre GA

We have selected the same accommodation and venue

for Pre GA. You don’t need to move by taking OC bus from

the Pre GA venue to GA. We believe that this will promote

a green GA.

As mentioned earlier, APA HOTEL & RESORT Tokyo Bay

Makuhari is ideal to hold international conferences as it has

a large number of rooms, is located very near to the well-

equipped venue, has easy access to the Central Tokyo

and two international airports, and also offers free internet

access in each room. Please refer to page 7 “Description of

the facilities”. Most important of all, after comparing all

kinds of options including universities and dormitories, we

found out staying in the same venue and hotel is the best

for our finance as well as the essential quality of the

conference.

We have already reserved 150 rooms to welcome 300

participants for Pre GA.

The participation fee for Pre GA will be maximum 170 euro.

Kaminarimon Gate Cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji Shiretoko, world natural heritage site Kabuki

11

Finance

Maximum Budget

Revenue

Participation Fees

Early A&B 100 euro

C&D 180 euro

E&F 230 euro

Late A&B 295 euro

C&D 350 euro

E&F 400 euro

*NOT include TAF

200,000

Sponsorships & Support

Funds 132,390

TOTAL 332,390

Expenditure

Accommodation 106,770

Meals 78,230

Conference Venue 101,650

Ceremony & Party 21,350

Transportation during GA 4,450

Administration 16,230

Support for External

Speakers 2,670

Promotion 440

Logistics 530

TOTAL 332,390

Minimum Budget

Revenue

Participation Fees

Early A&B 100 euro

C&D 180 euro

E&F 230 euro

Late A&B 295 euro

C&D 350 euro

E&F 400 euro

*NOT include TAF

200,000

Sponsorships & Support

Funds 113,890

TOTAL 313,890

Expenditure

Accommodation 106,770

Meals 66,910

Conference Venue 101,650

Ceremony & Party 14,240

Transportation during GA 4,450

Administration 16,230

Support for External

Speakers 2,670

Promotion 440

Logistics 530

TOTAL 313,890

Current situation of fundraising

Our amazing fundraising team has worked

so hard in the past one year, searching for

any possible sponsorship opportunity. We

have already contacted government,

universities, companies, foundations and

other organizations such as Japan National

Tourism Organization, Chiba Convention

Bureau, Japan Medical Association,

Honda Motor Company, the Rotary

Foundation and so on. The result is very

positive, and many of them have agreed

to sponsor our event if we are successful

with our bid.

We have also identified the best option for

accommodation and venue, lightening

the fundraising burden without comprising

the best quality of the conference we will

provide. We have successfully obtained

about 1 million euro discount from the

hotel and the venue.

Each year IFMSA-Japan has a fundraising

team to raise money for our central

budget, projects and events, so we

believe our competence and experience

will ensure the target of fundraising of

MM2012 being met.

Pharma Free GA

We are sure that we will refrain from

getting money from pharmaceutical

companies and make MM2012 a pharma

free GA.

12

VISA information

In order to attend March Meeting 2012 in Japan,

you must apply for a short-term stay (A stay of up

to 90 days) visa.

Visas are issued in the Japanese embassy or

consulate in your country. Visas cannot be

obtained after arriving in Japan.

Application fees must be paid for the issuance of

visas. The fees are about 30 euro for a single-

entry visa. Fees are collected in the currency of

the country (territory) of which the Embassy /

Consulate General is located. Depending on

your nationality, fees may not be required or

may be a different amount.

The period required from the visa application to

the issuance of the visa is approximately 5

working days as long as there are no particular

problems with the content of the application, it

takes less time than this depending on the

Embassy / Consulate General and the purpose

of your travel.

If you are a citizen of one of the following

countries, you must obtain a visa:

Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, Colombia,

Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana,

Grenada, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan,

Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya,

Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal,

Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama,

Peru, Philippines, Russian federation, Rwanda,

Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa,

Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uganda,

Venezuela

If you are a citizen of one of the following

countries, you don’t need a visa:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada,

Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic,

Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, The former

Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia France,

Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland,

Israel, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland,

Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,

Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, The Netherlands,

Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Our concrete plans to make your visa application

process easier and smoother

Aside from the normal invitation letter in English for

all the delegates, we will provide another invitation

letter in Japanese for the delegates who need

visas as soon as their registration is confirmed by

their NMO Presidents. Such invitation letter,

according to the regulation of Japanese

government, will be very helpful and will definitely

smooth your visa application process.

The visa coordinator, our former NORE, will work

with you throughout the process to ensure all the

concerns regarding visa application can be

solved. Our experience from SCOPE and SCORE

has shown that very few students didn't obtain visas

with the support of IFMSA-Japan. In addition, the

Embassy or consulate of Japan which the

delegates will apply the visa from, will be informed

about the thorough information of MM2012 in

Japan by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will

strive our best in order to achieve a high

representation of NMOs in MM2012.

13

There are no Japanese Embassy / Consulate General in

Armenia, Montenegro, Grenada, Burundi and Sierra Leone.

So the delegates who are from these countries need to

apply for visas in other countries.

Counties without

Embassy / Consulate General Apply for a visa in

Armenia Russian Federation

Montenegro Serbia

Grenada Trinidad and Tobago

Burundi Kenya

Sierra Leone Ghana

There are 3 ways to apply for a visa

(1) the visa applicant him/herself goes directly to the

Japanese Embassy / Consulate General

(2) the visa applicant writes a Letter of Proxy and get a

proxy to go to the Japanese Embassy / Consulate

General in his / her place

(3) the visa applicant uses an accredited travel agent

approved by the Japanese Embassy / Consulate

General

However, depending on the circumstances in your country

or region, there are cases that the documents should only

be submitted by the applicant him/herself going to the

Japanese Embassy/Consulate, or through an accredited

travel agent, or by mail.

For further information about visa, please visit the website of

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

Outline of the procedure

14

Japanese culture, design, and cuisine

inspire the world.

You will experience an exciting mix of tradition

and visionary modernity. Encounters with kabuki

and noh, kimono fittings, ikebana flower

arrangement, tea ceremonies and culinary

tradition are unforgettable experiences.

Temples and shrines with world heritage status

fascinate the visitor as do avant-garde

architecture, anime and manga culture.

When it comes to health and security Japan

is number one in the world.

Who would not feel safe in a country where

every year over 100 million yen worth of lost

property is returned to their owners? The

population owes their high life expectancy rate

to a very healthy cuisine. The hygiene standards

of hotels and public facilities are impressive.

Japan lures with great reachability

Hundreds of flight connections a day make

Japan easy to reach from all international

locations.

Visiting these websites, you can get further

information of two international airports in

Chiba.

Narita International Airport

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html

Tokyo International Airport

http://www.tokyo-airport-bldg.co.jp/en/

Attraction of

Japan

If you have any questions, please contact us!

Contact:

Organizing Committee President

Motoko Kametani

president@gainjapan.jp

IFMSA-Japan President

Taiki Nabekura

president@ifmsa.jp

Website:

To see our updates, please visit our Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MM-

2012Japan/169835089721242

Questions? We are ready to

welcome you!