These proceedings present the most recent progress made by Japanese and Italian researchers in the field of heavy ion physics. They cover both experimental and theoretical aspects from low energies (Tandem Van de Graaff accelerators) to medium energies (LINAC, Cyclotrons) up to relativistic energies (LHC at CERN).The majority of the experiments presented have been performed in the two largest Italian laboratories: LNL, Legnaro-Padova, with the Tandem + SC Linac (ALPI); LNS, Catania, with the Tandem + SC Cyclotron; and in one of the largest Japanese facilities: RIKEN, Saitama, with the Ring Cyclotron.The future Italian developments with relativistic heavy ions at LHC (CERN) are also presented, as well as experiments in collaboration with other laboratories, like JAERI, CNS (University of Tokyo), the Tandem Accelerator Center (Tsukuba), GANIL (France), and the Accelerator Laboratory in Munich, Germany.The highlights of the proceedings, and the area in which most experimental efforts are presently involved, are: research with radioactive ion beams at RIKEN with the RIPS separator; spectroscopy study at LNL with the GASP/EUROBALL 4 spectrometers; and intermediate energy hysics (deep inelastic, fragmentation) at LNS.Also presented are the future trends in Japan at RIKEN, RiBeam Factory, and JHP at KEK, and in Italy EXCYT at LNS and SPES at LNL. All these new developments are strongly connected with production and subsequent exploitation of radioactive ion beams, and offer a very promising, fertile future.
