Takuya Watanabe1, Jin Ye Yeo2
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Respiratory Disease Center, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan; 2JOVS Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. JOVS Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: jovs@amepc.org
This interview can be cited as: Watanabe T, Yeo JY. Meeting the Editorial Board Member of JOVS: Dr. Takuya Watanabe. J Vis Surg. 2025. https://jovs.amegroups.org/post/view/meeting-the-editorial-board-member-of-jovs-dr-takuya-watanabe.
Expert introduction
Dr. Takuya Watanabe (Figure 1) graduated from Mie University in 2010 and obtained his Ph.D. degree from Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in 2019. Now, Dr. Watanabe has been working as the Chief Doctor in Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital since 2019, performing uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and also difficult surgeries such as locally invasive lung cancer. Especially, he has a great interest in uniportal VATS, and went to study abroad at Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann, Potsdam, Germany from 2022 November to 2023 January. Recently, he is teaching uniportal VATS as a lecturer at many conferences and seminars. And, he has published several papers on surgery in various journals. He is also skilled in extensive surgery for locally advanced lung cancer and continues to take on the challenges of all kinds of surgery.
Dr. Watanabe is a board-certified surgeon of the Japan Surgical Society, the Japan Association for Chest Surgery, and the Japanese Association of Thoracic Surgery. He is also a certified and supervising doctor of the Japan Society for Respiratory Endoscopy and a board-certified doctor of the Accreditation Council for Lung Cancer CT Screening. He is also a board member of the Japanese Uniportal VATS Interest Group (JUVIG).
Figure 1 Dr. Takuya Watanabe
Interview
JOVS: What inspired you to specialize in thoracic surgery?
Dr. Watanabe: As a resident, I was deeply impressed by the beauty of pulmonary anatomy. That experience inspired me to pursue thoracic surgery.
JOVS: You have a great interest in uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). What initially drew you to this technique, and how do you think it compares to traditional methods in terms of patient outcomes and recovery?
Dr. Watanabe: I was drawn to this approach because it is truly patient-centered. It is only natural for patients to prefer smaller and fewer incisions when undergoing surgery, and as surgeons, we must respond to that expectation. Compared to conventional multiportal VATS or open thoracotomy, uniportal VATS clearly offers faster postoperative recovery and is a well-appreciated approach by patients.
JOVS: How do you balance the benefits of minimally invasive techniques like uniportal VATS with the need for more extensive surgeries when dealing with locally advanced or complex cases?
Dr. Watanabe: Even in cases of locally advanced lung cancer or complex segmentectomies, uniportal VATS is feasible if the surgeon is skilled. However, safety and precision always come first. If intraoperative conditions demand it, I will not hesitate to convert to thoracotomy. Uniportal VATS is a means—not an end.
JOVS: As a lecturer teaching uniportal VATS at conferences and seminars, what do you believe are the biggest challenges in training other surgeons in this technique, and how do you overcome them?
Dr. Watanabe: The key lies in mastering how to manage the limited intrathoracic space. In uniportal VATS, it is essential to first create a well-exposed operative field, and then carefully consider how each instrument is introduced and used within the thoracic cavity. When I see surgeons trying to proceed under suboptimal conditions, I always step in to guide them.
JOVS: What recent advancements in thoracic surgery do you find most exciting, and how do you think they will impact the treatment of lung cancer moving forward
Dr. Watanabe: Reduced-port robotic surgery is very exciting. While most procedures can be effectively performed using uniportal VATS without the need for a robot, cases requiring complex reconstruction may truly benefit from the precision and dexterity of robotic technology.
JOVS: Looking ahead, what are the next steps in your research? Are there any ongoing projects or future studies you are particularly excited about?
Dr. Watanabe: I am focused on the broader adoption and standardization of uniportal VATS. Despite its advantages, there are still surgeons who remain skeptical, mainly due to concerns about surgical quality and safety. This technique should not remain exclusive to a few experts—it must become accessible to all thoracic surgeons. Through education and advocacy, I hope to ensure that any patient can receive high-quality minimally invasive surgery.
Video learning is both simple and highly effective, so I plan to continue updating my YouTube channel (Nabetaku channel: https://www.youtube.com/@taku527) as a teaching tool.
In addition, through the multi-institutional study currently being conducted by the Japanese Uniportal VATS Interest Group (JUVIG), we are working to generate domestic evidence regarding the value and long-term outcomes of uniportal VATS in Japanese patients.
JOVS: As an Editorial Board Member of JOVS, what are your expectations for yourself and the journal?
Dr. Watanabe: Surgeons around the world are constantly innovating to improve the quality of surgery—and I count myself among them. JOVS can serve as a valuable platform for sharing individual experiences, techniques, and innovations so we can collectively provide better surgery for our patients. I look forward to contributing to that global exchange.