Article 1 GENERAL RULES
1. NAME
The name of the organization shall be the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research, hereafter called "the Society".
2. PURPOSES
The purposes of the Society shall be to promote development of research on pigment cells, exchange of information among its members, and international communication related thereof.
3. ACTIVITIES
To achieve the above purposes the Society shall carry out the fo1lowing activities:
- To hold General Assembly and Scientific Meetings on a regular basis;
- To support the publication and continuation of the journal "Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research", hereafter called "the Journal";
- To dispatch Directors to meetings of the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies, hereafter called the IFPCS;
- To organize the International Pigment Cell Conference on a regular basis and to participate in the "Conferences";
- To promote scientific interchange with the European Society for Pigment Cell Research, the PanAmerican Society for Pigment Cell Research and the Asian Society for Pigment Cell Research;
- To promote scientific interchange with related national and international scientific Societies;
- To disseminate activities of the Society to its Members and to the public;
- To honor scientists who have contributed to the development of pigment cell research;
- To carry out other activities to achieve the purposes of the Society.
Article 2 MEMBERSHIP
4. MEMBERSHIP
Individuals who support the purposes of the Society and go through necessary procedures shall be eligible for membership.
- A "Member" is an individual who supports the core activities of the Society.
- A "Student Member" is an undergraduate or graduate student who participates in the activities of the Society.
- A "Honorary Member" is an individual who, having made a major contribution to the development of the Society, is recommended at meetings or the Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors and approved at the General Assembly, according to Rules to be established.
- A "Supporting Member" is an individual or an organization who acknowledges the purposes or the Society and supports its activities.
ADDENDUM
1) This revised rule shall take effect on November 26, 2006.
5. DUES
Dues shall be paid by all Members, Associate Members, and Supporting Members and the amounts will be determined separately under Rules.
6. ADMISSION
An individual who wishes to be eligible for membership shall present an application form and dues.
7. RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Members have the right to participate in the General Assembly and to present papers at the Scientific Meetings.
8. WITHDRAWAL FROM MEMBERSHIP
Any Member, Associate Member, Or Supporting Member shall lose membership in case of:
- Application to withdraw from the membership;
- Not having paid dues for two years or more and ignoring notice from the Office;
- Death;
- Having exceedingly spoiled the honor of the Society or acted against the purposes of the Society, and so being excluded from membership by the Board of Directors.
Article 3 ORGANIZATION
9. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Society shall consist of:
- President 1 person
- Secretary General 1 person
- Chairperson 1 person
- Directors not exceeding 18 persons
- Auditors 2 persons
- Councilors not exceeding 60 persons
10. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
The duties of the Officers shall be the following:
- The President shall be the principal executive Officer of the Society and shall represent the Society. The President shall preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors;
- The Secretary General shall assist the President and represent the Office. The Secretary General shall carry out the duties of an absent or disabled President;
- The Chairperson shall organize an Annual Scientific Meeting and preside at the General Assembly;
- The Directors shall constitute the Board of Directors and shall decide and execute important business matters;
- The Auditors shall audit accounts of the Society and shall present a report at the Meeting of Councilors and at the General Assembly;
- The Councilors shall constitute the Board of Councilors and shall deliberate activity reports, accounts, and bills that will be proposed by the Board of Directors.
11. TERMS OF OFFICERS
The terms of Officers shall be the following:
- The President and the Secretary General shall serve three years and be eligible for re-election to the same positions. The Officers of the IFPCS and the President and Secretary General of the Society shall retire as Directors after serving one three-year term as ex-officio Directors upon completion of their terms. They shall not be eligible for re-election as a Director until one Year after the expiration of their terms as ex-officio Directors. The ex-officio Directors shall be entitled to vote but shall not be counted toward a quorum of Directors.
- The Chairperson shall serve one year until the Annual Scientific Meeting.
- The Directors shall serve three years and shall be entitled to be re-elected for two consecutive terms. They shall not be eligible for re-election as a Director until one year after the expiration of their second term as Director, The term of Directors sent as representatives to the IFPCS shall be determined according to Rules to be established.
- The Auditors shall serve three years and may be eligible for re-appointment.
- The Councilors shall serve three years and may be eligible for re-appointment.
ADDENDUM
1) This revised rule shall take effect on November 30, 2011.
12. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The Officers of the Society shall be elected according to the following:
- The President shall be elected from among the Directors by votes of Directors, deliberated on at the meeting of the Board of Councilors, and approved at the General Assembly.Directors whose terms have expired at the time of election(hereafter called "Resigning Directors")shall be eligible to be elected as the President but shall not be entitled to vote.
- The Secretary General shall be recommended from among the Directors and the Resigning Directors by the President, deliberated on at the meeting of the Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors, and approved at the General Assembly.
- The Chairperson shall be selected at the meeting of the Board of Directors from among the Directors and Councilors, deliberated on at the meeting of the Board of Councilors and approved at the General Assembly.
- The Directors shall be elected in principle from among the Councilors by votes of the Members. The election procedures shall be determined according to Rules to be established. The President and the Secretary General shall remain as Directors during their term.
- The Auditors shall be appointed from among the Councilors by the President, deliberated on at the meetings of the Board or Directors and the Board of Councilors, and approved at the General Assembly.
- The Councilors shall be selected, in principle, from among the Members on the basis of their contributions to pigment cell research, deliberated on at the meeting of the Board of Councilors and approved at the General Assembly. The Directors and ex-Directors shall also serve as Councilors.
Article 4 GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND OTHER MEETINGS
13. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly shall be held according to the following:
- The Society shall hold a General Assembly once a year and shall discuss and approve the following business matters of the Society: a)Activity report and plan; b)Accounts; c)Revision of bylaws; d)Revision of dues; e)Appointments of officers; f)Other necessary matters.
- Fifty percent of the Members, either those in attendance or those not in attendance who have sent a letter of attorney, shall constitute a quorum for the General Assembly. The decision of business matters requires more than half of votes by the Members in attendance.
14. ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
The Annual Scientific Meeting shall be held according to the following:
- The Society shall hold an Annual Scientific Meeting once a year where papers on pigment cell research shall be presented and opinions shall be exchanged.
- The Chairperson shall organize and execute the Annual Scientific Meeting. Chairpersons for future Annual Scientific Meetings may be selected, if the Board of Directors finds it appropriate.
15. MEETINGS OF THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS AND COUNCILLORS
The meetings of the Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors shall be called according to the following:
- The President shall convene meetings of the Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors at least once a year. The President shall convene Special meetings of the Board of Directors when more than one-third of the Directors request it.
- Two-thirds of the Directors or Councilors, either those inattendance or those not in attendance but have sent a letter of attorney, shall constitute a quorum for each meeting. The decision of business matters requires more than half of votes by the Directors or Councilors in attendance.
16. COMMITTEES
The President may establish ad hoc Committees if the President finds it necessary.Duties of Committees, the method of selecting its members and the duration of its term shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
Article 5 ACCOUNTS
17. ACCOUNTS
The expenses of the Society shall rely on dues and other income.
18. FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Society shall begin at the General Assembly and end at the General Assembly of the following year.
Article 6 MISCELLANEOUS
19. OFFICE
The Office of the Society shall be installed, in principle, at the institution to which The Secretary General belongs. The Office shall be in charge of admission and withdrawal of members, collection of dues, and information activities.
20. RULES
Rules which shall become necessary for executing the business of the Society shall be proposed at the meeting of the Board of Directors, deliberated on at the meeting of the Board of Councilors, and approved at the General Assembly.
ADDENDUM
1) The present Bylaws shall be enforced on July21, 1997. The old Bylaws that were enacted on December 11, 1987 shall be repealed.
RULES
DUES
- MEMBERS: 20,000 yen per annum. This amount includes subscription to the journal "Pigment Cell Research" (95 US dollars per year) and annual dues to the IFPCS (23 US dollars per year).
- ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: 4,000 yen per year.
- SUPPORTING MEMBERS: The annual fee shall be determined separately.
ADDENDUM
1) This change of the annual dues shall be effective as of December 10, 2009.
SELECTION OF DIRECTORS SENT AS REPRESENTATIVES TO THE IFPCS
- There are three Directors sent as representatives to the IFPCS, among whom one shall be the President of the Society. The other two shall be selected at the meeting of the Board of Directors, deliberated on at the meeting of the Board of Councilors, and approved at the General Assembly.
- The Directors sent as representatives to the IFPCS shall remain as ex-officio Directors of the Society during their three-year terms to the IFPCS, even if they resign as President, Secretary General, or Director of the Society. The ex-officio Directors shall be entitled to vote but shall not constitute a quorum.
ADDENDUM
1) This rule shall be enforced as of July 21, 1997.
PROCEDURE OF ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
- This Rule shall determine the procedure for the election of Directors, as set forth by the bylaw of the Society, Article 3-12-4.
- Election of Directors shall be held every year for about one-third of the Directors (about 6 persons).
- The President shall appoint, by paying attention to their field of interest, a Recommendation Committee consisting of the following five members: the Secretary General, two Directors, and two Councilors. The Secretary General serves as the Chairperson of the Recommendation committee. The term of the Committee shall terminate upon completion of the election.
- The Recommendation Committee shall select candidates for Directors whose number exceeds that to be elected.In addition to Directors whose first term expires, the Committee shall recommend several Councilors as candidates for Directors. The Committee shall pay attention that candidates shall represent various fields of pigment cell research. The Committee shall recommend candidates from Members or non-members who have made contributions to pigment cell research, under conditions that, when elected, the non-members shall become Members of the Society.
- The President shall notify the candidates for Directors that they are on the list of candidates, confirm their intention to run for the position, and then notify Members of the list of candidates two months prior to the General Assembly. The Members shall be entitled to recommend additional candidates for Directors With a petition signed by five Members.
- The election of Directors shall be executed, at least one month prior to the General Assembly by votes(carried out unanimously for numbers to be elected) From the Members, based on the list of candidates.Directors elected shall be determined according to the votes they receive.In case there shall be a tie between two or more candidates for the last position of the Director, the senior candidate shall become a Director.
- Business of the Recommendation Committee and election shall be executed at the Office.
- In addition to the above articles, the Recommendation Committee shall determine any business related to the execution of the election.
ADDENDA
1) This rule shall take effect on November 26, 2006.
2) If any special measures shall become necessary, the Board of Directors shall determine them during the three year period of transfer.
Rules Concerning Election of Honorary Members
- These rules set forth the method of selecting Honorary Members in accordance with Article 2-4-3 of the Bylaws of the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research.
- "Honorary Membership" is a qualification which expresses the Societyfs profound respect and shall be awarded to an individual who has made a major contribution to the development of both the Society and pigment cell research.
- Selection of an Honorary Member shall require the recommendation of at least two Directors, approval by the General Assembly following affirmative decisions by the Board of Directors and the Board of Councilors, and the consent of the individual.
- Honorary Members shall not serve as Directors or Councilors and shall not be directly involved in the Societyfs operation.
- Although Honorary Members may attend either meetings of the Board of Directors at the request of the President or the Board of Directors, or meetings of ad hoc Committees pertaining to specific business and express opinions, they may not take part in decisions.
- Although Honorary Members may attend meetings of the Board of Councilors and express opinions, they may not take part in decisions.
- Honorary Members shall be exempt from dues; however, Honorary Members shall bear the cost of both participation in the Conference and subscription to the Journal (the actual cost for those who desire to subscribe).
- Individuals who comply with these rules, even those who are not Members of the Society, may be made Honorary Members.
- Approval of the Board of Directors shall be obtained for revision of these rules.
ADDENDUM
1) These rules shall take effect on March 1, 2002.
Rules Concerning the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research Encouragement Award
- The Society shall establish the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research Encouragement Award.
- The Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research Encouragement Award shall be conferred on individuals with rich potential selected from among the Members of the Society who have presented creative research which contributes to the progress of pigment cell research.
- A maximum of two Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research Encouragement Awards shall be awarded each year along with certificates and extra prizes.
- Award recipients shall, in principle, both be honored and deliver commemorative speeches at the Annual Meeting of the Society held the year the award is received.
ADDENDUM
1) These rules shall take effect on December 5, 2009.
Rules Concerning the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research Fellowship Grant
- The Society shall establish the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research Fellowship Grant.
- Applicants for these research funds must be Members of the Society, and the research content shall contribute to academic development in a pigment cell-related field.
- The President of the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research and a number of selectors appointed by the President shall engage in selection, and each year a maximum of two persons shall each receive research funds of 500, 000 yen by decision of the Board of Directors, Board of Councilors, and the General Assembly.
- In principle, the research period shall be one year, and research fund recipients shall be provided the opportunity to present their research results at the Annual Meeting of the Society held the year following the funding decision.
- Research fund recipients shall be required to promptly submit a financial report after the presentation of research results.
- Research funds may be used for the purchase of equipment, supplies, and services necessary for the conduct of research.
ADDENDUM
1) These rules shall take effect on December 5, 2009.
