History

The origins of our division can be traced back to the establishment of the “Biomechanical Engineering Research Committee” within the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) in 1970. Led by Chief Researcher Kiichi Tsuchiya (formerly of Waseda University), Secretary Yoji Umetani (formerly of Tokyo Institute of Technology), and Committee Member Ichiro Tanasawa (formerly of the University of Tokyo), the committee conducted a two-year survey focusing primarily on research trends in biomechanics and related fields.

For some time thereafter, there was no unified forum where researchers in this field could gather and collaborate, leading to a period during which research presentations were dispersed across several academic societies. In 1977, the Japanese Society of Biorheology was established, finally providing a dedicated academic society related to biomechanics within Japan. Nevertheless, research in biomechanics and bioengineering largely remained the effort of individual researchers rather than being supported by an organized framework.

To address this issue, in 1985, the “Biomechanics Research Committee” was established as one of the specialized research committees within the Japan Society of Medical Electronics and Biological Engineering (currently known as the Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering). This finally secured a platform for presenting research in biomechanics. Through the committee’s activities, awareness of the importance and necessity of biomechanics research was promoted, and new researchers in the field were also cultivated. Furthermore, among researchers with a background in mechanical engineering, there was a growing recognition of the need for a dedicated forum within the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers. As a result, the “Bioengineering Committee” was formed within the society in 1986. With the transition of JSME to a division-based structure, the committee was reorganized, and in 1987 (the 65th term of JSME), the “Bioengineering Division” was officially established.

歴代部門長