Medical education had begun in the 1970s as a pedagogical science and art by the establishment of the Japan Society for Medical Education and its activity thereafter. WHO had played an important role in the backbone of the Society by introducing a new concept of medical teacher training as the shortest way in order to realize "Health for All by the Year of 2000". In 1973 the founder and first president Prof. Ushiba attended the WHO Workshop for Deans held in Sydney and was influenced with a shockingly effective experience.
The WHO's principle of teacher training (faculty development) came from pedagogy professor Bloom's theory of the taxonomy of educational objectives, strategy and evaluation and its practice.
After 40 years since then, the theory and practice of higher education have changed and improved. Of course, medical education is not an exception of higher education. Therefore, we apply its progress in medical education and it does the same each other. They say ten years make an age–old epoch; therefore accordingly, 40 years are four times.
A life expectancy of the theory of medical education will be 40 years. Now we have to reform medical education by change of our mind and by introducing new theory and practice.
Problems facing medical education such as shortage of physicians and medical and health care expenditure, national policy, education of physician scientists and successor medical educators are also discussed.

Forty Years AgoAugust,1969 in the prime of the nation-wide university strife, the Japan Society for Medical Education was founded within the Association of Japanese Medical Colleges in order to improve medical education through a long-ranged research-based activity and became an independent organization later.Achievements AfterwardOnly 62 members at the beginning have increased year after year to 2,000 and 230 organization members, including all 80 medical schools, in response to the societal summons. The Society's activities have ranged widely from the undergraduate medical education, begun at the student selection, the graduate education to the continuing education of the health professionals with and through evidence-based research.Some of the real activities during the past forty years have been as follows: (1)Various committees and working groups have worked continuously toward momentarily crucial issues facing medical education, (2)The scientific meetings have been held annually at the medical schools or teaching hospitals for forty years as well as conferences and workshops occasionally, (3)The official journal "Medical Education (Japan)" has been published bimonthly and the educational books as well, (4)Promotion and cooperation of "faculty development" have been one of the most important tasks, (5)Assistance to build the medical education centers in medical schools and hospitals and (6)many others.Future ProspectivesThe Japan Society for Medical Education will continue every activity for the people's health and welfare as an organization of "noblesse oblige".