It is our great pleasure and honor to welcome you to the 3rd Quadrennial Meeting of the World Federation of Neuro-Oncology (WFNO) to be held jointly with the 6th Meeting of the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO) in Yokohama, Japan on May 11-14, 2009.

The World Federation of Neuro-Oncology decided to hold a scientific meeting organized by three international societies for neuro-oncology, the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) in U.S.A., the European Association of Neurooncology (EANO) in Europe, and the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO) in Asia, every 4 years. The first meeting was held in Washington, DC, U.S.A. in 2001, the second was in Edinburgh, U.K. in 2005, and the third will be hosted by our Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology in Japan.

We are putting together an attractive program consisting of an educational symposium on May 11, which will be suitable for post-graduates and those wishing to learn about updates on recent progress in neuro-oncology. The opening ceremony followed by a welcome reception will be held in the late afternoon on May 11. The main scientific program will start on May 12 and will include a wide variety of topics in the fields of diagnosis, treatment, and biology of brain tumors. In the early morning and during lunch time, we will prepare "meet the expert sessions" and "luncheon seminars" to focus on special fields of neuro-oncology, special techniques for treating patients, or newly developing treatment modalities.

Yokohama is an international port city next to Tokyo, and it is, therefore, a very convenient place from Tokyo train station (30min.) and from Tokyo (Narita) International Airport (90 min.). Yokohama has developed as the base for foreign trade in Japan since 1859, and it is one of the very few cities in Japan with a diverse multicultural population with multicultural festivals and events. Yokohama is an ideal place for exchanging information and ideas freely with your colleagues from all over the world.

We look forward to meeting you in Yokohama in 2009, and to discussing our accomplishments and plans for the future of neuro-oncology.