[The 4th international conference of World Police Medical Officers in Clinical Forensic Medicine in Kumamoto, Japan].

The World Police Medical-Officers in Clinical Forensic Medicine (WPMO) is an international conference on practice of forensic medicine and clinical forensic medicine to be taken place every three years. Its 4th international conference (WPMO-1996-KUMAMOTO) was held on 19-23 August 1996 in Kumamoto, Japan. A total of 294 participants, 89 overseas from 18 countries and 205 domestic, were attended. Four plenary lectures and 67 free papers were presented in the conference. Such social programs as welcome reception, one-day-tour, citizen's home visit, banquet etc were carried out. The two plenary entitled 'Current Status of Practice of Forensic Medicine in U.S.A.' by Prof. Thomas T. Noguchi and 'Origins and Development of the Police Surgeon Services in U.K.' by Dr. Reginald A. Bunting were tape-recorded and presented in this report as references of future activities of forensic medicine in Japan.