Islamic Culture Forum 1- September 1974-Islamic Culture Society (JAPAN) p3-4 Message on the occasion of the publication of “ISLAMIC CULTURE FORUM” Forty-two years ago， in 1932，17scholars of the Japanese academic world concerning Islam joined their hands together and established an organization called “The Islam Institute” and made great e汀orts in their respective fields to promote understanding of Islam by the Japanese people in its true perspective. With the lapse of time，12 out of the 17 members of the Institute passed away and only the remaining five members devotedly continued their efforts to achieve the purpose of the Institute. During this passage of time，our country Japan has undergone a great amount of difficulties and changes through the Japan-China Wars and the World War II. In the Islamic world also, great changes occurred through the independence of a large number of Muslim countries in Asia and Africa，which had hitherto been foreign colonies. Although many of the members of the Institute died of old age during this long period of time after its establishment，a number of young and new but eminent scholars have come up and are being groomed as their successors. Since the relations between Japan and the Islamic world have become closer than ever before，mutual understanding has become a very important topic even in diplomacy or economic cooperation. Forty-two years ago，we published a quarterly magazine called “ISLAM CULTURE” and continued our movement for the diffusion of knowledge and understanding of Islam and the Islamic culture. After a lapse of so many years，we have now decided to revive the magazine under a somewhat new title: “ISLAMIC CULTURE FORUM.”While reviving it，our aim does not limit itself within Japan, but broaden itself toward the deepening of the exchange of thoughts through mutual understanding among all the peoples of the world including，of course，those in the Muslim world for this is an age when our thoughts and actions ought to be useful to the peace and happy of the whole mankind. CHISHU NAITO Tokyo，September 1974 Prof.（Dr.）Chishi Naito President of lslamic Culture Society（Japan） A versatile scholar of great repute， Professor Dr. Chishu Naito，President of Islamic Culture Society（Japan）was born in Yamagata Prefecture in 1886. After graduating from the Tokyo Imperial University （now university of Tokyo）he served under the Japanese Foreign Ministry and was stationed in various Japanese Embassies in Europe for many years. In 1932，he obtained his Doctor of Literature degree and worked as professor at several universities. Dr. Naito is a pioneer of Islamic scholastic activities in Japan and wrote many books on Islam and the Muslim world and is regarded as a top Japanese authority on Islam， reputed for attempting to introduce Islamic studies in Japan in the true historical perspective. Members of The Islam Institute （1932） Arata Aoyama Chijo Akamatsu Mikinosuke lshida Tadazumi lida Seitaro 0kajima Koji okubo Rokuro Kuwata Sentaro Kemuriyama Hajime Kobayashi Yoshiaki Komai Muneo Tanabe＊ Chishu Naito＊ Hisao Matsuda＊ Shigehiko Matsumoto Shinji Maejima* Ryozo Miyagi Kametaro Yagi* ＊Living