Okinawa Pharmaceutical Association marks 100th anniversary

The Okinawa Pharmaceutical Association is celebrating its 100th anniversary since its founding in 1926. Tomoko Maehama, the association's president, is focusing on addressing the regional shortage of pharmacists. Okinawa currently has the lowest number of pharmacists per 100,000 people in Japan.

To combat this, the association is working toward the establishment of a pharmacy school in Okinawa, specifically advocating for a national or public university. This initiative aims to allow local students to pursue the profession without the financial or logistical burdens of moving to other prefectures, while also leveraging Okinawa's unique subtropical biological resources for pharmaceutical research.

In conjunction with the 100th anniversary and 'Medicine and Health Week,' the association and the prefecture will host a public lecture in Naha on October 18. The event is free to the public and aims to increase interest in the pharmaceutical profession and community health.