Ninshu Ma was born in 1961 and received Ph.D. in 1994 at The University of Osaka, Japan. He is a professor of Joining and Welding Research Institute, and the director of East-Asian Center of Academic Initiatives at The University of Osaka, Japan. He is associate editor of “Ships and Offshore Structure”, editor of “China Welding”, associate editor-in-chief of “Advanced Materials Joining”. He was the editor-in-chief of “the Journal of the Japan Society of Technology of Plasticity”. He has published more than 300 journal articles and 6 books/chapters. He has chaired/co-chaired several international conferences. His research interests include computational welding mechanics and metal forming mechanics, development of computing/measuring methods and material constitutive models for various fusion/solid-state joining methods, and additive manufacturing.Kazuo Hiraoka was born in 1948 and received Dr.-Eng. in 1997 at The University of Osaka, Japan. He was a guest (2016-2024) /visiting (2009-2016) professor of Joining and Welding Research Institute at The University of Osaka, Japan. Until 2009, he was a leader of Welding Metallurgy Group at National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). He has published more than 100 journal articles and 3 books/chapters. His research interests include diagnostics of welding arc, development of arc welding process, and welding technology for 780~980MPa class high strength steels with LTT materials.Zhongyuan Feng (born in 1988) received Ph.D. in 2021 at The University of Osaka, Japan. He has published more than 15 journal articles. His research interests include weldability of metallic materials, residual stress and fatigue performance of welded joints, and friction stir welding technology for high-melting-point materials.Hiroshi Yajima was born at Tokyo in 1936 and received Dr. Eng. in 1981 at The University of Tokyo, Japan. He worked at Technical Headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. from 1960 through 1994. He was a professor at Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University from 1994 through 2000. And he was a professor at Graduate School of Engineering, Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science from 2000 through 2015. At present, he is an emeritus professor at Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science. He has published about 500 journal articles. His research interests include fatigue strength and unstable fracture strength of large welded structures.