The Japan-Bolivia Association for Medicine and Friendship was founded by doctors at the gastroenterology centers and hospitals established in Bolivia with Japanese aid, together with Japanese doctors, to promote medical exchange and friendship between Japan and Latin American countries including Bolivia.
Since its launch in 1982 with the Japan-Bolivia International Symposium of Gastroenterology, it has continued to hold symposia and seminars, provide personnel and medical technology support to the centers and hospitals, and arrange lectures and look after medical professionals traveling between the two countries. It became a specified nonprofit corporation in 2007.
In October 2025, the 16th symposium was held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, jointly with Universidad Cristiana de Bolivia. Seven Japanese and four Bolivian doctors gave lectures, and 346 doctors, medical students and healthcare professionals attended. Japanese culture was also introduced, with a tea ceremony, origami and yukata dressing, and total participation since the first symposium reached 5,703. The work began with a focus on gastroenterology and has grown into interdisciplinary activity across medicine and healthcare.
Key points
- Medical exchange through the Japan-Bolivia symposium, running since 1982
- Personnel and medical technology support to hospitals and centers in Bolivia, and assistance for visiting doctors
- The 16th symposium also introduced Japanese culture, with 5,703 total participants to date
Why this organization's work stands out
A distinctive feature is more than 40 years of face-to-face exchange between doctors. Beyond delivering medical technology, the association nurtures friendship between people by hosting visiting doctors and creating academic forums.
It is also notable that the work grew from gastroenterology into many other fields of medicine. Providing opportunities to introduce Japanese culture makes it a useful reference as a grassroots form of international exchange centered on medicine.
Editor's comment
It made me feel that exchange through medicine builds trust across borders.
More about the activities, along with membership and donation information, is on the official website. Please take a look.