English-Language Journals from Japanese Medical Societies — Japan-Based Titles with an Impact Factor
2026-09 · Hideya Itagaki, MD
English-language journals published by Japanese societies are receptive to research based on clinical data from Japan, and their reviewers are often familiar with the Japanese healthcare system, which makes them practical target journals. The main titles with an Impact Factor are listed below by specialty (values are from JCR 2025, released June 2026).
Emergency and Intensive Care
| Journal | Publishing body | IF | Notes |
|---|
| Journal of Intensive Care | Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine | 7.5 | Fully open access. Ranks highly in intensive care internationally |
| Acute Medicine & Surgery | Japanese Association for Acute Medicine | 1.3 (2024) | Fully open access. Accepts case reports |
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
| Journal | Publishing body | IF | Notes |
|---|
| Journal of Gastroenterology | Japanese Society of Gastroenterology | 5.7 | Q1 in its field. Mainly original articles |
| Digestive Endoscopy | Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society | 3.6 | A leading journal in endoscopy |
| Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences | Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery | 2.5 | Biliary and pancreatic surgery |
| Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology | Japanese Society of Gastroenterology | 0.8 | Dedicated case report journal |
Cardiology
| Journal | Publishing body | IF | Notes |
|---|
| Circulation Journal | Japanese Circulation Society | 5.8 | Open access (member discount on the APC) |
| Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics | Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics | 5.5 | IF has risen sharply in recent years |
| Journal of Cardiology | Japanese College of Cardiology | 3.5 | |
| Heart and Vessels | International Society for Heart Research, Japanese Section | 1.5 | |
| Journal of Echocardiography | Japanese Society of Echocardiography | 1.1 | |
Endocrinology and Diabetes
| Journal | Publishing body | IF | Notes |
|---|
| Journal of Diabetes Investigation | Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (Japan-led) | 3.6 | Fully open access |
| Endocrine Journal | Japan Endocrine Society | 2.5 | Open access |
| Diabetology International | Japan Diabetes Society | 1.1 | Also accepts case reports |
Surgery and Orthopaedics
| Journal | Publishing body | IF | Notes |
|---|
| Surgery Today | Japan Surgical Society | 2.3 | |
| Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery | Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery | not confirmed | Fully open access |
| Surgical Case Reports | Japan Surgical Society | not confirmed | Fully open access. Case reports only |
| Journal of Orthopaedic Science | Japanese Orthopaedic Association | 1.7 | |
| Spine Surgery and Related Research | Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research | 1.6 | Fully open access |
Radiology, Neurology, Oncology and Internal Medicine
| Journal | Publishing body | IF | Notes |
|---|
| Japanese Journal of Radiology | Japan Radiological Society | 4.6 | IF has risen in recent years. A strong target journal for imaging work |
| Cancer Science | Japanese Cancer Association | 4.9 | Fully open access |
| Gastric Cancer | Japanese Gastric Cancer Association / International Gastric Cancer Association | 6.1 | An international journal in gastric cancer |
| International Journal of Clinical Oncology | Japan Society of Clinical Oncology | 3.0 | |
| Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology | National Cancer Center Japan | 2.5 | |
| Neurologia Medico-Chirurgica | Japan Neurosurgical Society | 1.6 | Open access |
| Internal Medicine | Japanese Society of Internal Medicine | 1.0 | Open access. The most widely used outlet for case reports within Japan |
Points to Note About These Society Journals
- Membership requirements: some of these journals require the first or corresponding author to be a society member (Circulation Journal, Surgery Today and others).
- Article processing charges: the fully open access titles carry an APC, but it is lower than at open access journals elsewhere, and member discounts apply.
- Case reports: Internal Medicine, Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology, Surgical Case Reports and Acute Medicine & Surgery welcome case reports, and they take in cases that were turned away without review by journals outside Japan.
- Studies on Japanese data are not dismissed as merely domestic: for research using Japanese DPC or health insurance claims data, it is a considerable advantage that the reviewers understand the system behind it.
The IF of each journal can be checked in the journal list on this site. If there is a society journal that should be added, let us know via the contact page.