A boomheader, also called roadheader, was patented in the late 1940s in Hungary and the machines were developed and manufactured in various countries such as Soviet Union, England and Austria. In 1961, PK3 made in Soviet Union was introduced to a Japanese coal mine. Thereafter, the machines were developed and manufactured mainly by two Japanese companies. Currently, the machines are widely used in tunneling both for mining and civil engineering projects. In this document, the development history of the machine up to now in Japan is shortly reviewed with a chronological table.