Prof. Hiroshi Date

Prof. Hiroshi Date is Professor and Chairman of Thoracic Surgery at Kyoto University Hospital — one of Japan's most prestigious academic medical centres and a national leader in lung transplantation. Over a career spanning more than 35 years, Prof. Date has pioneered living-donor lobar lung transplantation in Japan, a technique particularly important in a country where cadaveric organ donation rates remain low relative to Western nations. He has performed hundreds of lung transplants — making his programme one of the most experienced in Asia — and has contributed enormously to expanding access to transplantation for Japanese patients with end-stage lung disease. He is simultaneously a leading thoracic oncological surgeon, performing high volumes of VATS and open surgery for lung cancer. His patient philosophy places equal emphasis on surgical excellence and compassionate long-term follow-up of transplant recipients.

Prof. Date completed his medical degree (MD) and PhD at Kyoto University, where he has spent the majority of his career. His thoracic surgery specialty training was undertaken at Kyoto University Hospital and at internationally recognised thoracic surgery centres in North America and Europe, where he developed expertise in lung transplantation techniques. He was appointed Full Professor and Chairman of Thoracic Surgery at Kyoto University, a position he has held for many years. He holds specialist board certification in thoracic surgery in Japan (Japanese Board of Thoracic Surgery) and is recognised by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).

Prof. Date's signature expertise is in lung transplantation — particularly living-donor lobar lung transplantation, which he developed for Japan's unique circumstance of cadaveric donor scarcity. In this technique, bilateral lower lobes are donated by two living donors (typically family members) and transplanted into the recipient. His Kyoto programme has the largest series of living-donor lobar lung transplants in the world, with outcomes published and studied internationally. He also performs cadaveric (deceased donor) lung transplants. For lung cancer, he performs VATS and open lobectomy, segmentectomy, sleeve lobectomy for centrally located tumours, and pneumonectomy. He is experienced in complex tracheal surgery and chest wall resection.

Kyoto University Hospital is one of Japan's leading academic hospitals and its lung transplant programme is the largest in Asia. International patients with end-stage lung disease may enquire about evaluation for lung transplantation, though transplant candidacy assessment is complex and requires direct referral. For lung cancer surgical evaluation, international patients from China, Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia may seek consultation at Kyoto University Hospital. Prof. Date consults in Japanese and English. Kyoto is accessible from Kansai International Airport (Osaka, approximately 75 minutes by train) and from Nagoya and Tokyo by Shinkansen. International patient coordination is available through the hospital.

Prof. Date is internationally recognised as one of the world's leading thoracic surgeons. He has received the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery Award for outstanding contributions to thoracic surgery and has been honoured by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). He has published over 400 peer-reviewed publications in journals including the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, and the Lancet. He is a past President of the Japanese Society of Lung and Heart-Lung Transplantation and of the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. He has delivered invited lectures at ISHLT, STS, ESTS, and ASCVTS annual meetings and is regarded as the father of living-donor lobar lung transplantation.