Academic cooperation between JSNA and KSEN

OPEN ACCESS
https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2024.0012

2024;28(2):020-022

Brief report
Received: 2024/05/07, Revised: 2024/05/07,
Accepted: 2024/06/03, Published: 2024/06/30©2024 Masaharu Kagawa et al.; Licence Physical Activity
and Nutrition. This is an open access article distributed
under the terms of the creative commons attribution license(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/), which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction inany medium, provided the orginal work is properly cited.
*Corresponding author : Dr. Masaharu Kagawa
Institute of Nutrition Sciences, Kagawa Nutrition University,
3-9-21 Chiyoda, Sakado, Saitama 350-0288, Japan
Tel: +81-49-281-7743 / Fax: +81-49-284-3679
E-mail: mskagawa@eiyo.ac.jp©2024 The Korean Society for Exercise Nutrition[Purpose] The Japan Sports Nutrition Association(JSNA) is an academic society that aims to contributeto people’s health and the development of sports inJapan.
[Methods] After numerous communication and academic events, the JSNA and the Korean Society forExercise Nutrition (KSEN) exchanged a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) in 2018.
[Results] Based on the MoU, the JSNA and KSEN
organized academic exchange events until the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic and subsequent travel
restrictions and lockdowns.
[Conclusion] After four years of the pandemic and thedowngrading of Coronavirus Disease 2019 infection
risk, it is hoped that academic exchanges between thesocieties will resume gradually and enhance members’
recognition of the cooperation between the JSNA andKSEN for active collaborations in the future.
[Keywords] KSEN, JSNA, exercise nutrition, sports
nutrition cooperation

An academic cooperation between theJapan Sports Nutrition Association(JSNA) and the Korean Society for
Exercise Nutrition (KSEN)
Masaharu Kagawa1,2* / Yosuke Nagashima1,3 / Satomi Oshima1,4 /Akiko Sato1,5 / Tatsuya Ishizu1,6 / Kazuko Ishikawa-Takata7 /Motoko Taguchi6
1. International Exchange Committee, Japan Sports Nutrition Association
2. Institute of Nutrition Sciences, Kagawa Nutrition University, Saitama, Japan
3. Department of Health Science, Musashigaoka Junior College, Saitama, Japan
4. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Nagoya University of Arts and Sciences, Aichi, Japan
5. Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.
6. Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan
7. Faculty of Applied Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, JapanOverview of the Japan Sports Nutrition Association(JSNA)
The Japan Sports Nutrition Association (JSNA) is an academic organization that was established in 2013. It was originally founded as theJapan Sports Nutrition Research Group in 2004 and became a nonprofitorganization in 20071. To date, the JSNA has 2,119 active members,
comprising a range of professions, including dietitians, nutritionists, academics, and students. The JSNA aims to contribute promotion of healthof people and also contribute to the development of sports in Japan1. To
achieve these aims, the JSNA provides scientific and evidence-based information related to Sports Nutrition to the general public and promotes
research activities and networking among researchers in the field ofSports Nutrition1. In addition, to contribute to the development of sports
culture and improve athletes’ performance, the JSNA delivers training
and provides learning opportunities to raise experts in Sports Nutrition1.
One of the key training programs provided by the JSNA is a training
course for the Japan Sports Association (JSPO) Sports Dietitians. It is a
joint accreditation program with the Japan Dietetic Association (JDA)and JSPO that aims to raise sports nutrition experts who can provide adequate support to athletes by coordinating with other supporting staff, including coaches, trainers, and experts from other disciplines2. The JSNA
has been commissioned to implement the accreditation programs of JDA
and JSPO since June 20083. As of October 2023, the JSNA has trained
522 JSPO Sports Dietitians4.

Collaboration with the Korean Society for Exercise
Nutrition (KSEN) and an exchange of a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU)
The JSNA has maintained about a decade of relationship with mem-

Physical Activity and Nutrition. 2024;28(2):020-022, https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2024.0012

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Academic cooperation between JSNA and KSEN

and an agreement on the revised MoU was reached in May
2023.
The revised MoU stated that the JSNA and the KSEN
would cooperate in a number of activities, including:bers of the Korean Society for Exercise Nutrition (KSEN).
In 2014, the JSNA organized an international session at its
first annual scientific meeting held in Tokyo and invited Dr.
Nanna Meyer from the US, Dr. Zeyi Yang from China, andDr. Hyon Park, and Dr. Sungsook Cho from the Republic ofKorea. Collaborative activity continued, and the JSNA organized a Japan-Korea international symposium at its third
annual scientific meeting held in 2016. For this symposium,the JSNA invited Dr. Jonghoon Park and Dr. Kiwon Lim
from the KSEN. The following year, Dr. Kazuko Ishikawa-Takata, President of the JSNA at the time, was invited toan annual conference of the KSEN and delivered a presentation.
After the abovementioned academic exchanges, the Presidents of the JSNA and the KSEN agreed to exchange Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the societies.
The President of the JSNA and a council member responsible for international exchange visited Konkuk Universityin Seoul and signed the MoU on 25th February, 20185. The
JSNA and the KSEN actively communicated and organized
academic exchange events for the first couple of years.
However, due to the first report of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019, and theoccurrence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic in the following years, the JSNA had to halt avast majority of international academic exchanges and othercollaborative activities with overseas organizations, including those with the KSEN, until the situation improved.
While collaborative activities slowed down, the JSNA andthe KSEN decided to revise the MoU to allow it to be morepractical for members of both societies so that it could
be implemented immediately after academic cooperation
resumed. The revision process was implemented in 2022,

A1) ‌Allowing members to attend each other’s annual conferences at the ordinary member price;2) Inviting‌members as guest speakers to the annual conference, if necessary;3) Exchanging‌materials and information with each other.
It is important for members of each society to fully understand the content of the revised MoU so that activities
between the societies can be optimized.

Past collaborative activities between theJSNA and the KSEN
Before the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting travel
restrictions, the JSNA and the KSEN conducted academic
exchanges based on the MoU agreement in 2018. In 2018,
two members from each society attended a scientific conference hosted by the opposing society. Ms. Hiroka Ohnoand Mr. Sihyung Lee attended the KSEN conference heldin May and presented their work (Figure 1A), whereas Dr.
Shin Chul Ho and Dr. Lee Min Chul from the KSEN visitedthe fifth annual scientific meeting of the JSNA held in Julyand delivered guest lectures5. Exchange activities continued
the following year, with Dr. Yosuke Nagashima and Ms.
Saki Kondo attended the KSEN scientific meeting held inMay 2019 (Figure 1B)6.

B

Figure 1. (A) Presentation made by Ms. Ohno at the KSEN Scientific meeting in May 2018. (B) Presentation made by Dr.
Nagashima at the KSEN Scientific meeting in May 2019.

Physical Activity and Nutrition. 2024;28(2):020-022, https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2024.0012

21Academic cooperation between JSNA and KSEN

Future prospects and conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic, which lasted nearly four
years, and policies, such as lockdowns, travel restrictions,and mandatory vaccination, impacted frequent and active international academic cooperation. Fortunately, the Japanese
government lifted the state of emergency by October 2021
and eased immigration restrictions for overseas travelers
from October 2022. Furthermore, the Japanese government
downgraded COVID-19 from “Pandemic Influenza (NovelInfluenza or Re-emerging Influenza),” equivalent to Category II infectious diseases, to Category V infectious diseasein May 2023. These changes have made various COVID-19
prevention strategies no longer mandatory.
With the easing of infection prevention strategies, it ishoped that academic cooperation between the JSNA and theKSEN will resume based on the revised MoU agreed uponby both parties in 2023. To ensure long-lasting mutual academic cooperation, it is recommended to start with activities
that are feasible without excessive burden to either society,such as sharing information on annual scientific conferences
and recent news from each society.
The International Exchange Committee of the JSNA
hopes that these activities will help members of both societies recognize the MoU’s role in fostering mutual cooperation. The Committee also hopes that these activities
will increase the number of members actively involved infuture academic exchanges, including those willing to attend another society’s scientific meetings or present as guest
speakers, thereby contributing to enduring friendship andscientific collaboration between both countries (Figure 2).

Date: 21st to 22nd September 2024
Venue : Kagawa Nutrition University, Saitama, Japan
Theme : Assessments and PracticeConference Chair : Assoc. Prof. Masaharu Kagawa
Conference website : ‌https://10jsna.jp/index.html (in Japanese)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express appreciation to theKSEN for the collaborative relationship. The authors also
thank all JSNA members who supported preparation of thisarticle.

REFERENCES
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Japan sports nutrition association [in Japanese]. https://www.jsna.
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Japan dietetics association [in Japanese]. https://www.dietitian.
or.jp/career/specialcertifications/sports/ (accessed: 01/04/2024).
Sports nutrition web [in Japanese]. https://sndj-web.jp/what/ (accessed: 01/04/2024).
Japan sports association [in Japanese]. https://www.japan-sports.
or.jp/coach/tabid248.html (accessed: 27/04/2024).
Taguchi M. Announcements and reports from the international
exchange subcommittee of the external relations committee [inJapanese]. Jpn J Sports Nutr. 2019;12:86-9.
Taguchi M. From the international exchange committee [in Japanese]. Jpn J Sports Nutr. 2020;13:202-4.

Conference information:
The 10th Annual Meeting of the Japan Sports Nutrition
Association (JSNA)

Figure 2. A flyer of the 10th Annual Meeting of the JSNA.

Physical Activity and Nutrition. 2024;28(2):020-022, https://doi.org/10.20463/pan.2024.0012

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