Japanese research output on the slide

There has been a dramatic decline in Japan’s contribution to high-quality scientific research over the past decade, and the country’s lack of international collaboration is partly to blame, a study has shown.

The Nature Index study of the authors of papers published in 82 natural science journals between January 2012 and October 2018 reveals a significant decrease of 19.9 per cent in the input of scholars based in Japanese research institutions.

Catherine Armitage, chief editor of the Nature Index database of papers, said this indicated an “alarming decline in Japan’s contribution to global science”.