The content of this special issue is presented in the course of introduction of Japanese biomass utilization. The amount of biomass resource in Japan is limited, and its production scale is small. A proper strategy is needed for using biomass resources in Japan. The Japanese cabinet approved "Biomass Nippon Strategy" as a guiding principle of biomass utilization in Japan. Visions of utilizing each biomass species are also presented. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.