During 2001 Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 195 drilled four holes at Site 1202 off northeast Taiwan (Salisbury et al. 2002). The water depth is 1274 m and the site is located at a gentle topographic high in the bottom of the southern continental slope of the southern Okinawa Trough. The main theme of this special issue is to report and summarize the latest important results derived mainly from the studies of Site ODP1202.