The 5^th International Symposium on Atomically Controlled Fabrication Technology took place at the Nakanoshima Center of Osaka University in Japan from October 22-24, 2012. It was organized by the Global COE program at Osaka University and The Technical Committee on Ultra Precision Machining of The Japan Society for Precision Engineering. The aim of the global COE program is to achieve the atomic level controllability in wide-area processing, which is indispensable for next-generation manufacturing technologies that utilize functional materials. The symposium highlighted recent achievements and new concepts. It consisted of keynote lectures, contributed talks and poster presentations. Volker Rose presented in his keynote lecture recent achievements of the SXSPM project. The availability of a technique that combines electronic, chemical, and magnetic contrast with ultra-high spatial resolution will have an enormous impact on atomically controlled fabrication technology. The well-organized interdisciplinary symposium provided an opportunity for scientists and engineers to exchange information and ideas.