The complete volume 12 of Medical Progress through Technology is devoted to the work of colleagues in Japan. Additionally, whole authority and responsibility both for the election of topics and for the reviewing procedure had been delegated to Guest Editors from Japan. What are the objectives of this special issue and why has Japan been elected to present itself in this way? International journals such as Medical Progress through Technology usually contain papers from authors all over the world. Such issues provide a rather comprehensive survey on different scientific projects but do not...