My four-year term as editor-in-chief will end in the coming December 2007, after publication of Anthropological Science Vol. 115 issue No. 3. In transforming Anthropological Science to a J-Stage based open-access e-journal in 2003/2004, we had taken on the challenge of becoming an internationally recognized journal that publishes quality research in physical anthropology and related disciplines. We believe that we have made some considerable progress in this regard, and hope to continue to improve and fulfill our mission.

I would like to thank the many individuals who have supported our efforts and made possible the modest achievements that we have made over the past four years: in particular the contributors of the many research papers, our highly talented associate editors and members of the Editorial Board, the many other individuals who kindly acted as constructive referees in the peer review process, and all members of the Anthropological Society of Nippon, as well as some other key non-members, who kindly provided direct and indirect encouragement and support to Anthropological Science.

The next editor-in-chief will be Dr. Tsunehiko Hanihara of the Saga University. We ask for your continued and generous support to Dr. Hanihara and his new staff of Anthropological Science. As of October 1, 2007, all submitted manuscripts will be handled by the incoming editorial staff listed below. Papers that are already submitted will continue to be handled by the current staff. Note that we are having a new e-mail address for manuscript submissions. Submissions should be sent to the new e-mail address (as@ml.med.saga-u.ac.jp), but the previous one will also be in effect for some time to come.

Gen Suwa (October, 2007)

Incoming Editor-in-Chief
Tsunehiko Hanihara,
Department of Anatomy and Biological Anthropology,
Saga Medical School, Nabeshima, Saga, 849-8501 Japan
as@ml.med.saga-u.ac.jp

Associate Editors (alphabetical order)
　Yuzuru Hamada, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama
　Hitomi Hongo, School of Advanced Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama
　Tadashi Imanishi, Biological Information Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tokyo
　Hajime Ishida, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa
　Shoji Kawamura, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa
　Andrea Manica, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
　Yoshihiko Nakano, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka
　Masato Nakatsukasa, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto
　Joichi Oyamada, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki
　Chris Stringer, Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, London
　Gen Suwa, The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo
　Ian Tattersall, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York
　Minoru Yoneda, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa

Book Review Editor
Mark Hudson,
University of West Kyushu,
4490-9 Osaki, Kanzaki, Saga, 842-8585 Japan
hudsonm@nisikyu-u.ac.jp;
 
 
Previous message
This issue of Anthropological Science is presented in a newly designed format and style. Simultaneously, we are publishing online in J-STAGE (www.jstage.jst.go.jp). We are providing free access to our online version to ensure that papers published in Anthropological Science are read as widely as possible. Advanced view service commences by mid-April with which we intend to upload papers regardless of scheduling of the printed issues. We have opened a new journal homepage (www.nacos.com/asn/as.html) with easy-to-use table of contents directly linked to our J-STAGE pages. The printed issues will be published three times a year (as opposed to previously four times a year), but the actual research paper content will increase due to the format change.

The new cover is a schematic design of the Japanese archipelago on which our Society’s activity has been historically based. From the pages of Anthropological Science, we reach out to share our enthusiasm for anthropology with our colleagues throughout the world. We hope that the new services now available with Anthropological Science will promote active participation from Society members and non-members alike.

I would like to thank all who had devoted the considerable time, energy and expertise necessary in making this transition possible; most notably members and staff of JST, Atlas Corporation and Nakanishi Printing Co., Executive Officer Y. Mizoguchi, Executive Secretary R.T. Kono and President Y. Dodo of our Society, former and current members of the editorial staff of Anthropological Science, and all who have contributed their valuable research papers to Anthropological Science.

Gen Suwa (April 2004)
 
It is just over a decade since Anthropological Science, with exclusively English issues, succeeded the Japanese and English mixed-language journal, the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon. Now, from the strong initiative of Yukio Dodo, President of ASN for the 2002-2004 term, we have transformed Anthropological Science into an online journal. Starting from the beginning of 2004, in addition to the continuing printed issues, we plan to provide open access to all papers of Anthropological Science by posting them on J-STAGE, the largest e-journal outlet in Japan (www.jstage.jst.go.jp). The same J-STAGE files can be accessed from our journal homepage (www.nacos.com/asn/as.html), which gives a fuller table of contents and access to past abstracts.

In the eleven year history of Anthropological Science, we have published research papers in the following subject categories. Morphological variation and evolution (bone, teeth and fossils) 49%, genetics and human biology 12%, ecological anthropology and living primates 11%, biomechanics, physiology and anatomy 9%, growth, development and somatology 7%, population biology, cognitive science and linguistics 7%, and prehistory and archeology 4%. We have formed an international editorial staff to correspond in representation to the above frequencies of papers in each subject. We believe that this will enable a most efficient peer review process and handling of manuscripts. At the same time, we welcome any change in focus, and are ready to flexibly add to our personnel to better serve our contributors and readership. We believe that our talented and high-profile editorial staff will have tremendous impact on the upgrading of our journal contents.

Both members and non-members are welcomed to contribute manuscripts to Anthropological Science. As of this day, there is no page limit or excess page charges, although we do ask submissions to be as precise and concise as can be for any given information content. We encourage simplicity of manuscript handling, and promote submissions by e-mail attachment files (see Instructions to Authors). All manuscripts should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief (a change from previous practice) at as@um.u-tokyo.ac.jp. Manuscripts are to be handled through the peer review process by one of the associated editors or the Editor-in-Chief.

Finally, on behalf of all society members and other contributors and readers of Anthropological Science, it gives me great pleasure to thank Dr. Y. Mizoguchi and his editorial team for their excellent work during the past three and a half years. Please note that papers received before October 1, 2003 were predominantly handled by Dr. Mizoguchi and his team.

Gen Suwa (November 2003)