Since 1957, the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) has contributed greatly to promoting scientific activities and technological developments in the field of automatic control. The IFAC World Congress is the largest event in the field, held every three years. I am extremely excited that the next World Congress in 2023 will be hosted in Yokohama, Japan.

As revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many societal issues have emerged for scientists and engineers. To tackle societal problems for sustainable developments in the future, cooperation is especially important.

For IFAC 2023, we have proposed the vision of "Wa (Harmony)". In a broad sense, it represents the design of the large harmonious control loop to solve societal problems and to create societal values. From the Japanese perspective, it also means harmony of traditional culture and innovative technology.

We will make every effort for IFAC 2023 to be enjoyable both technically and socially and very much hope that many of you from all over the world will join us in Yokohama.

On behalf of the National Organizing Committee, I would like to sincerely welcome all of you to the IFAC World Congress in Yokohama, Japan, in 2023. Yokohama City is adjacent to Tokyo and is a cultural and vibrant city where traditional culture and modern technology coexist in harmony.

The congress venue, PACIFICO Yokohama, is at the city center on the shore. It is the largest convention complex in Japan, with large halls for plenaries and exhibitions, and a conference center with many meeting rooms.

For the congress organization, we have a strong team with more than 100 people, who are very active in various capacities within the IFAC. The Program Committee will put together a strong program with a variety of special sessions, placing emphasis on discussions relating to the congress vision.

The Japanese team will do our best to organize an exciting World Congress and very much look forward to seeing all of you in Yokohama, Japan, in 2023.