This year, many societies around the world overcame COVID-19 and resumed their academic activities. The Japan Association of Mineralogical Sciences (JAMS) also held its face-to-face conference in three years, this September at Niigata University. Many members gathered at the venue, and lively discussions took place here and here. I was reminded on the advantages of in-person conferences. It is great honor for me to have been appointed the president of JAMS at this timing.

    The JAMS supported some activities for the 2022 Year of Mineralogy. The activities will be continued in the future, such as a textbook on mineralogy highlighting recent global progress of mineralogy and special issues of academic journals across the earth and planetary sciences. The Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences published by the JAMS has become a fully electric journal under the leadership of former president Ritsuo Miyawaki since this January. You can access the following URL to look at our open access journal. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jmps The Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences is covering the research field of earth and planetary sciences including mineralogy, petrology, and geochronology, material sciences, and environmental sciences. We hope that many researchers around the world will make use of this journal. Your contributions are　also sincerely welcome.

    We are still facing for COVID-19. However, many universities and research institutes have resumed educational activities such as lectures and practices, as well as research activities in the field and laboratories. We organized two special sessions and eight regular sessions in the annual conference at Niigata including mineralogy, petrology, environmental sciences, and planetary sciences. We will hold next annual conferences at September 2023, Osaka Metropolitan University. It will also be scheduled for face-to-face conference. Attractive sessions are expected to be planned in the next conference, and we are also committed to promoting the appeal of mineralogical science. We want to share the joy of science with as many people as possible.

    Six-years have passed the JAMS became the incorporated association and our activities have been on track. It means that we improve legal compliance and obligations through (1) improved reliability in both its academic and societal functions, (2) legal stability through clarification of responsibilities, and (3) holding of properties. The JAMS will continue to make a conscious effort as Elements’ member. Mineralogical science not only contributes to the development of scientific research but also helps to significantly reduce and prevent natural disasters, such as the megaquake and large-scale volcanic eruptions, and also contributes to disposal technic of radioactive waste. We would like to develop mineralogical science as a “rich science” that connect with many fields of earth and planetary sciences.