Book excerpt: The Materials Research Society of Japan (MRS-Japan), formerly the Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Society (AMSES), was established on 16 March 1989 in Tokyo, Japan. AMSES was established following the International Conference on Advanced Materials, held from 30 May to 3 June 1988 in Tokyo (MRS Bulletin, October and November 1988). This meeting was similar to the MRS meeting held in Boston, USA, and consisted of 21 symposia, which were published as proceedings in 14 volumes. The number of participants was over 1600. The first President of AMSES, Professor Masao Doyama, gave the following address: As advanced technology develops toward its highest goals, a small improvement in existing materials is not enough to meet the demands. The deadlock of advanced technology often brings the invention of new materials. Human civilization has grown along with materials. The Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age represent the materials most used in those times. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the plastic age, the semiconductor age, the new ceramics age, and the composite materials age have been identified, but no single material dominates.