Season's greetings, and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! As the end of 2010 draws near, I would like to express my appreciation for your support of CRN. In April 2011, CRN will mark its sixteenth year. It all started at an international conference in Bergen, Norway in 1992 when we talked about using the internet to exchange ideas on children's issues from our various perspectives to create a better future. Seeking to reach out beyond Japan to the world, CRN launched its Japanese- and English-language sites in 1996 with the support of Benesse Corporation. CRN started up its Chinese-language site in 2005, and since then has strengthened ties with a number of international organizations and universities abroad. The past fifteen years have flown by, and I am moved by how much CRN has grown and what it has become, owing to your cooperation and support. Thank you from all of us at CRN.

In the past year, CRN has stepped up its international activities, which have included presentations on Child Science. In May, I delivered a lecture on Child Science at the Chinju National University of Education, Chinju, South Korea, as part of plans to establish to a Child Science Research Institute, and in July, at the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA) conference, "Early Childhood Education in a Changing World," in Hangzhou, China. In November, CRN also co-sponsored the Sixth Child Science Exchange Program in East Asia at China Women's University in Beijing, where I was honored to give the keynote address on heredity and culture as two forms of information that affect child development.

As for activities in Japan, conferences held by the Japanese Society of Baby Science and Japanese Society of Child Science, in July and October, respectively, were important events for CRN. In particular, the Japanese Society of Child Science welcomed Dr. Sarah Friedman, a psychologist who has researched the relation between child development and child care at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the United States. Dr. Friedman's lectures at Ochanomizu University, Konan Women's University, Mukogawa Women's University, NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, and the 5th Anniversary Symposium of the Benesse Institute for the Child Sciences and Parenting were opportunities for researchers here to learn about established research methodology in the child sciences.

Keeping abreast of recent advances in IT technology and application, CRN conducted its third website renewal this year. Now equipped with search and comment functions, article summaries, and keywords, I am sure you will find it easier to access and read.

In 2011, CRN will continue these efforts of the past year and unite our strengths to improve website content. We hope that you will continue to extend your guidance and support to CRN in the coming year as well. Thank you and best wishes for 2011.