Dear colleagues,

As we close the 22nd IAGP International Congress in Sapporo, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to each of you who helped make this meeting so meaningful.
Over these days, we came together from many countries, united by our belief in the power of groups for learning, healing, and transformation. We reflected, played, listened, and co-created a community filled with care, challenge, and creativity. These shared experiences now live within us and will continue to inspire our daily practices and communities.
My heartfelt thanks go to our Japanese hosts and the Local Organizing Committee for their warmth, generosity, and tireless dedication. You not only made this Congress possible but also you welcomed us into the spirit and culture of Japan. Arigatou!
To the Tele’Drama team, who ensured meaningful hybrid participation across the globe, to the Scientific Program Committee, to all speakers, workshop leaders, translators, and volunteers, thank you. And to every participant: your wisdom, energy, and presence are what keep IAGP alive, relevant, and truly global.
Although this Congress has ended, this is not a farewell. We are already looking ahead to our next encounter: the 23rd IAGP International Congress in Vienna, Austria, in 2028. v May the seeds planted in Sapporo continue to grow, carrying resilience, hope, and connection into the world.v With gratitude and warm regards,

Heloisa Fleury, on behalf of the IAGP Congress Organizing Committee

Dear Keynote Speakers, Symposium Chairs, Special Guests, and Presenters,

On behalf of the Scientific Program Committee of the IAGP Sapporo Congress 2025, we wish to express our deepest gratitude for your invaluable contribution to this year’s program. Your participation has not only enriched the Congress but has also helped create a space where diverse voices, disciplines, and cultural perspectives could meet in meaningful dialogue.
In these challenging and turbulent times, where conflicts, divisions, and uncertainty affect communities across the globe, your work has offered us essential insights and pathways toward understanding and transformation. By sharing your knowledge, your stories, and your unique expertise, you have helped our participants reflect on the role of groups and collective processes in addressing some of the most urgent issues of our time. Coming from Japan and Italy ourselves, we are deeply aware of how vital it is to build bridges across cultures and contexts. Your presence has helped us embody the very spirit of IAGP: fostering mutual learning and connection beyond borders, beyond disciplines, and beyond cultural frameworks.
We sincerely hope this is not an ending, but the beginning of an ongoing relationship. We would be delighted to welcome you as a member of IAGP and to stay in close touch as we continue to design new opportunities together: from future events and collaborations to initiatives aimed at raising global awareness and developing interventions in your area of expertise.
Thank you, once again, for being part of this Congress and for the inspiration you brought to our community. We look forward to continuing this shared journey.
With warm regards and deep appreciation,

Roberta Mineo
Co-Chair, Scientific Program Committee
President, IAGP

Kaoru Nishimura
Co-Chair, Scientific Program Committee

The 22nd International Congress of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes (IAGP) in Sapporo has successfully concluded. This was the first international congress to be held not only in Japan but also in Asia. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who traveled to Sapporo not only from Japan but also from South and North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania.
As the Local Organizing Committee, what we valued most was to provide an environment where participants coming from far away could feel at ease and engage in meaningful academic exchange. Initially, the congress was planned to be held only on-site. However, with the support of TeleDrama, it became possible to organize it in a hybrid format, enabling participation regardless of location. This was indeed a great challenge, but thanks to everyone’s support, it was successfully realized, and we are deeply relieved.
During the congress, we received much praise, though I am sure there were also moments of inconvenience and suggestions for improvement. The congress theme was “Groups and Global Crises.” In response, we welcomed participants with Japanese culture and the spirit of Wakei-Seijaku (Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility) through the world’s first joint performance of Japanese traditional dance and Ainu dance, as well as tea ceremony, origami, furoshiki, and shigin (traditional poetry). Through the vessel of the IAGP Sapporo Congress, fragments of our divided world, as well as of daily life and work, were reconnected and transformed into something new and valuable, like the art of kintsugi. I believe that each of you has taken such renewed value back to your own country.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity grew into something far beyond our imagination, thanks to your spontaneity, creativity, dreams, and strength. We hold deep gratitude for this.
The next congress will be in Vienna, Austria, in 2028. I am confident that new experiences and learning await us there as well. Thank you very much. See you again.

Jun Maeda
LOC Chair