Pressure, like temperature, is one of the most fundamental external factor governing the state of materials and their physical and chemical properties. High-pressure science and technology in Japan, in particular the technique of high-pressure generation, have greatly progressed in the last half century. Pressure range which we can produce, keep and control in laboratory has remarkably expanded in this period with leading to a rapid increase in the sample size which we can pressurize. Today, the highest pressure generated reaches to more than several magabars which corresponds to the pressures where the metallization of hydrogen is expected. Our excellent high-pressure sciences and technologies are now successfully applied to various research areas of physics, chemistry, biology, space science, geoscience, etc. Also they play many important roles to develop new technologies in several places.

The Japan Society of High Pressure Science and Technology established in October 1989 by organizing group of the annual meeting (the High Pressure Conference of Japan) and its participants unites physicists, chemists, biologists, Earth and space scientists under a common subject of "high pressure". The primary mission of JSHPST is to promote exchange and collaborative activities in the researchers and engineers. JSHPST was authorized as a member of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) in 1993 and is now a scientific society with the status of SCJ academic partners.

General features:

Now more than 550 individuals including more than 70 students are belonging to JSHPST. The members basically consist of researchers working in universities, national research institutes and companies. Also about 40 companies are supporting JSHPST as the associate members.

The Japan Society of High Pressure Science and Technology has the following 8 specific sections (focus groups):

1. Apparatus and techniques,
2. Properties of solids,
3. Reactions of solids,
4. Properties of fluids,
5. Reactions of fluids,
6. Geoscience,
7. biochemistry and related fields,
8. Shock compression.

JSHPST is an individual membership society open to those professionally engaged in or associated with the high-pressure sciences and technologies. Membership can be acquired by submitting an application form filled with the relevant personal information and paying the admission fee (2000 yen for all members) with the first year annual membership due (9000 yen for regular members and 4000 yen for students). Annual membership basically starts from September 1st and finishes at the end of August.

Members obtain a subscription to the journal "The Review of High Pressure Science and Technology" quarterly issued from JSHPST since 1992 in addition to a subscription to proceedings of the annual meeting. Articles in these publications are basically written in Japanese. However, we are also supplying English abstract in every article together for the convenience of readers outside Japan.

JSHPST also provides information of seminars and other activities of researchers groups.

For more details, please contact the secretary office of JSHPST.