On the occasion of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Human Genetics held in Kofu, October 13th-16th, 1998, Japan Society of Human Genetics invited a representative Dr. Ho Suk Saw, from Korean Society of Medical Genetics to discuss the possibility of establishing a union of human genetics societies in East Asia. Participants in the discussion were as follows:

• Yasuo Nakagome, President of Japan Society of Human Genetics (JSHG)
• Keiya Tada (NTT Tohoku Hospital), Director of JSHG
• Takehiko Sasazuki (Kyushu University), Director of JSHG
• Norio Niikawa (Nagasaki University), Director of JSHG
• Yusuke Nakamura (University of Tokyo), Director of JSHG
• Ho-Suk Saw (Korea University), Vice President of Korean Society of Medical Genetics

All the participants above agreed among national/regional societies in the East Asia would be most important and critical to activate and accelerate the research in human/medical genetics in the East Asia region.

On the 44th annual meeting of JSHG in Sendai, November 17th-19th, 1999, and 45th annual meeting of JSHG in Fukuoka, October 25th-27th, 2000, above participants met again to discuss and finalize starting EAUHGS.

Finally, EAUHGS was launched and had the first annual meeting in 2001. EAUHGS was accepted as a full member and part of the executive committee of IFHGS. Dr. Takehiko Sasazuki had served for five years as a first president of EAUHGS (2001-2006), and Dr. Ho Suk Saw is now serving for the second presidency of EAUHGS (2006-2011).