*The following is a written address from the hospital director held at Kobe City Medical Center auditorium on March 1, 2020.

Today, March 1, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of our hospital. As the 16th director of the hospital, I am extremely grateful and honored to be able to celebrate this day with you all.

Our hospital was established on March 1, 2013 as the Kobe City Kobe City Kobe Clinic in Sanbancho, Nagata Ward, Kobe. Looking back on history, Kobe at the time was a rapidly developing town. Originally a small village with a population of 20,000, it quickly became a metropolis with over 700,000 people as ports and factories were built. It was the third largest city in Japan after Tokyo and Osaka. In the process of great development, many came together in a short period of time, creating serious public health problems. In other words, it was an area where various diseases, mainly acute infectious diseases, were prevalent. Therefore, the establishment of public medical facilities has become an urgent issue.

``There is no public hospital for 700,000 citizens,'' is what was said at the time. Under these circumstances, our hospital began as a clinic built by the city in Sanbancho, Nagata Ward. It says that he had issued bonds worth 250,000 yen in the money at the time. Since 1 yen in the Taisho era was about 4,000 yen today, we can imagine that the amount of the bonds issued was over 1 billion yen.

The Kobe clinic was staffed by 103 people and reportedly treated between 500 and 900 patients a day. From the beginning, medical activities were extremely busy, and the dedicated efforts of the staff at that time earned the trust of the public, and we can imagine that the 100 years since then have been built on. Our hospital's spirit of being ``the last stronghold for citizens'' has been passed down to us for over 100 years.

Well, the history of the next 100 years has not been a smooth one. In 1933, there was a major flood that hit Kobe City. Just before the end of the war in 1945, there were two large-scale air raids, and the Kobe City and its hospitals were burnt to the ground. Following that, we gathered the power of post-war reconstruction and moved to our current location in front of Shin-Kobe Station in the Nunobiki area in 1951. This is the first step towards Kobe City Kobe City Medical Center. Its construction was completed in 1955, and it appeared as a general hospital. At the same time, the medical center concept was developed, and comprehensive medical treatment was provided for chronic and intractable diseases. From around 1962, we were the first in the country to develop a medical treatment system to deal with the problem of emergency medical care. As a result, in 1982 we moved to the emerging area of Port Island and further expanded our system for advanced acute care. In 1995, we experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. In 2011, we moved to our current location for the second time. Recently, we have experienced closely the transformation of local governments into independent administrative institutions and the novel coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020.

Looking back on the 100-year history, we can see that there were few peaceful times at this hospital. In order to face new challenges and solve them every day, our predecessors held discussions, repeated trial and error, and as a result, acquired various systems, which is why we are where we are today. I feel it strongly. I would like to understand how we came to be today and appreciate the efforts of our predecessors. It's not just medical personnel. In particular, I cannot help but think that the administrative staff supported us by providing flexible advice and sometimes making bold decisions. Furthermore, we are who we are today thanks to Kobe City who have supported us and placed deep trust in us since the time we opened our clinic.

As we stand on our 100th anniversary, we look back on the past and express our gratitude, while also being aware of the heavy responsibility we have as we move towards the next 100 years. I conclude my remarks with the confidence that the future of our hospital will be determined and the next 200 years will be shaped by the dedication and efforts of everyone gathered here.

Yasuki Kihara