As current Editor-in-Chief, I would like to call your attention to the publication of the 20th Anniversary Issue of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics. I would also like to extend my appreciation to previous Editors-in-Chief, current and past editors, President Keiji Hayashi and staffs of Fuji Technology Press Ltd. for their excellent contributions in publishing the 19 earlier volumes. I would like to thank all of the organizations concerned, especially the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME), for their generous supports.

The Journal has established an academic status and splendid reputation in robotics and automation research. As Editor-in-Chief, I am proud of participating in the publication of this eminent journal. Every year, it showcases around 100 outstanding technical papers, featuring five special issues on the most up-to-date topics and selected papers from the Robomec annual conference. The JRM will next target higher quality, a greater audience, more international exposure, and a higher reputation. Faster, more careful reviews and editorial processes are priorities. The next issue will collect papers from worldwide, especially from East Asian countries, where research activities have grown enormously.

I will continue to do my best to achieve these goals in collaboration with the current editors and staffs. We ask the ongoing support of you, our readers, society members, and all those who have done so much to make this effort successful.

In order to celebrate this memorial occation the editorial board asked the three past editor-in-chiefs to give their commemorative words as in the previous. I would be grateful for their outstanding jobs and contributions.