We wish to announce that Professor Tsuneo FUJITA shall be concluding his responsibilities as Editor of the Archives of Histology and Cytology as well as the Presidency of the International Society of Histology and Cytology, and will be succeeded in these duties by Professor Yasuo UCHIYAMA (Osaka). Prof. UCHIYAMA will share this task with Prof. Tatsuo USHIKI (Niigata).      This journal was founded in 1950 by the late Professor Masaji SEKI, a distinguished histologist and cellular biologist who chaired the Department of Anatomy at the Okayama University Medical School. This was shortly after the war, a time when Japanese scientists were under emotional and financial stress - a time of little international communication, hardly auspicious for the start of a new journal. But the journal which Prof. SEKI started, on which he bestowed the Latin name of "Archivum histologicum japonicum" as English had not yet attained its global acceptance in academic circles, came to be widely welcomed and contributed much to energize the research activities of younger Japanese scientists. At the same time, it was through this journal that many overseas scientists became acquainted with the postwar development of the biomedical field in Japan.       Following his retirement, Prof. SEKI continued to devote the remainder of his life to editing this journal, despite economic difnculties, and even the lack of a secretary. His final wish before his passing in 1965 was that Professor FUJITA should succeed him as editor of the Archivum.      Prof. FUJITA had moved from Tokyo to Okayama some five years earlier and was working as an associate professor under a different mentor, and therefore did not have a teacher-student relationship with Prof. SEKI. Nevertheless, FUJITA had long admired SEKI's unwavering devotion to his editorial work, and was deeply moved by this final request. He thus immediately resolved to succeed to the editorship. Four years later, FUJITA moved to Niigata University, taking with himself the editorial responsibility and all the journal's materials - exept for the printer for publishing the journal. There was an even better, more powerful printer available in Niigata, and this greatly aided the progress of the journal.      Thanks to the warm, continuing support of his consulting editors and domestic and overseas contributors and collaborators, as well as a faithful readership, and - last but not least -by the recovery of the Japanese economy, the young editor FUJITA was able to implement a number of improvements. The text, originally in a mixture of languages, was put into English exclusively, and the Latin title was changed to the present English one. Theformat was enlarged and color printig procedures renovated by advancing technologies. Editor FUJITA has been pleased to see the journal win regard as an indispensible reference source in the fields of histology and cytology, encompassing themata concerning a wide rangeof organs, tissues, and cellular and subcellular elements.      Thirty-seven years have now passed since Prof. FUJITA succeeded to the position of editor. He believes that it is now time - if not too late - to transfer this task to a younger generation. Prof. UCHIYAMA at Osaka University, long one of FUJITA's trusted friends and collaborators, recently accepted his entreaties, and has agreed to take up editorial responsibilities. Prof. UCHIYAMA has requested that Professor USHIKI, who succeeded Prof. FUJITA at Niigata University, collaborate with him as an associate editor. This will continue the tradition of this journal maintaining ties with Niigata.      Thus, this Archive now moves into its third era, powered by a young team of editors, Professors UCHIYAMA and USHIKI. We would ask our collaborators, readers, and all our supporters for their increased encouragement and promoting of this international journal. We look forward with anticipation to the splendid contributions to this journal which will stimulate further advances in biomedical science. March, 2002 The Editorial