Journal profile · AREA STUDIES
Japan Forum
ISSN 0955-5803 · eISSN 1469-932X · Taylor & Francis
Japan Forum: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.4 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 89 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 63% (journal website); 49 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Japan Forum is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Japanese History and Culture, Asian Culture and Media Studies and Chinese history and philosophy, together about 62.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Japan Forum, the leading European journal in the multidisciplinary field of Japanese Studies, publishes original research in subject areas ranging from archaeology, language, literature, philosophy and culture to history, economics, politics, international relations and law. Submissions from younger researchers as well as from established scholars are welcome, as are submissions which cross disciplinary boundaries or do not otherwise match the subject areas listed above. In addition to full-length original articles, Japan Forum publishes Perspectives essays. At up to 3,500 words, Perspectives offers a flexible format for developing ideas, think pieces, translations with commentary, research notes, methodological reflections, and responses to existing scholarship. The series is open to scholars at all career stages and provides a supportive venue for innovative and exploratory work. Peer Review Statement All original articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and double-anonymised refereeing by two independent reviewers. Short Articles undergo expedited evaluation by a single reviewer.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): AREA STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Chris PerkinsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Japan 7, United Kingdom 3 (10 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Japanese History and CultureSocial Sciences42.9%
- Asian Culture and Media StudiesSocial Sciences11.8%
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences7.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.1%
- Hong Kong and Taiwan PoliticsSocial Sciences3.1%
- Cinema and Media StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance2.5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering2.5%
- Socioeconomic Development in AsiaSocial Sciences2.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Linguistics and Language Behaviour Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Worldwide Political Science AbstractsPublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.13LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.13Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.72Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 146OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 25%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 91,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 91,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,217 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45 | 21 | 2 |
| 2025 | 49 | 16 | 15 |
| 2024 | 29 | 9 | 27 |
| 2023 | 33 | 10 | 20 |
| 2022 | 32 | 7 | 40 |
| 2021 | 23 | 8 | 80 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
89 daysfirst decision after review
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 63%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 63%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 89 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 89 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Japan Forum is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Statement
All original articles undergo rigorous peer review based on initial editor screening and double-anonymised refereeing by two independent reviewers; short articles undergo expedited evaluation by a single reviewer. Model summary
All original articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and double-anonymised refereeing by two independent reviewers. Short Articles undergo expedited evaluation by a single reviewer.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0955-5803
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-932X
- Society / sponsor
- British Association for Japanese Studies
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 38, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Japan Forum
What CAS zone is Japan Forum in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Japan Forum is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Area Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Japan Forum?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 0.7, h-index 30.
How long does peer review take at Japan Forum?
The publisher reports about 89 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 63% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Japan Forum based?
Of the 10 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (7) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Japan Forum?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Japan Forum is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Japan Forum open access, and what is the APC?
Japan Forum is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .