Journal profile · Multiple
Social Science Japan Journal
ISSN 1369-1465 · eISSN 1468-2680 · Oxford University Press
Social Science Japan Journal: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.42; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,569; 43 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus; the journal's website says it has ceased publication.
The journal's website says it has ceased publication: As of the beginning of 2021, Social Science Japan Journal (SSJJ) has ceased publication of the print issue and is operating as an online only publication. SSJJ publishes high-quality, refereed scholarly articles on modern Japan. All social science disciplines are represented … Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Science Japan Journal is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 3 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, Chinese history and philosophy and Social Policy and Reform Studies, together about 50.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Science Japan Journal (SSJJ) publishes high-quality, refereed scholarly articles on modern Japan. All social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, history, law, political science, and sociology) are represented, including studies of Japan’s international relations and comparisons with other countries. SSJJ’s substantial book review section contains reviews of English and Japanese language monographs on Japanese society. SSJJ occasionally publishes surveys of research materials and scholarly debates in Japan, as well as reviews of the current state of research on Japanese society in various countries. SSJJ is listed in Thomson Reuters’ internationally renowned Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and is being incorporated in the authoritative online journal archive JSTOR. Leading scholars recommend SSJJ "For some time now, Social Science Japan Journal has been the most important source of social science and cross-disciplinary work on Japan, certainly in the English language—and arguably in any language. Its great strength is the ability to present state of the art scholarship from around the world, Japan included, in a single publication." Andrew Gordon Professor of History Harvard University "Social Science Japan Journal is without a doubt the best source for insightful analysis of contemporary Japan. If you only read one journal on Japan, SSJJ should be at the top of the list. Tom Ginsburg Professor of Law University of Chicago Read more recommendations Journal metrics Citation metrics Clarivate 2025 Impact Factor 1.4 2025 5 Year Impact Factor 1.7 Area Studies (Rank by Impact Factor) 42/184 Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary (Rank by Impact Factor) 107/275 2025 Cited Half-Life 8.3 years 2025 Immediacy Index 0.5 2025 Eigenfactor Score 0.00023 2025 Article Influence Score 0.473 Scopus 2025 CiteScore 2.0 Social Sciences (All) (Rank by CiteScore) 120/286 2025 Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 1.661 Readership 2025 Full Text Usage 48,372 About metrics Impact Factor And Ranking Social Science Japan Journal is covered in Social Science Citation Index from 2010. Year Impact Factor Ssi: Area Studies Ssi: Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary 2023 1.2 37 out of 176 108 out of 263 2022 1.1 40 out of 84 78 out of 110 2021 0.478 72 out of 84 99 out of 111 2020 1.154 39 out of 80 81 out of 110 2019 0.815 36 out of 77 78 out of 108 2018 0.947 30 out of 74 68 out of 104 2017 0.500 44 out of 68 78 out of 98 2016 0.278 56 out of 69 83 out of 96 2015 0
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Eric WeesePublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Japanese History and CultureSocial Sciences36.7%
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences6.9%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences6.5%
- China's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceSocial Sciences5.4%
- Asian Culture and Media StudiesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Migration, Ethnicity, and EconomySocial Sciences4.4%
- Hong Kong and Taiwan PoliticsSocial Sciences3.5%
- Asian Industrial and Economic DevelopmentSocial Sciences3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EconLitPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, JSTOR
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
- 1.42LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.37LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 236OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 28.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.82%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 20LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 48,372Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,278 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 43 | 9 | 40 |
| 2024 | 37 | 11 | 59 |
| 2023 | 34 | 9 | 95 |
| 2022 | 27 | 6 | 127 |
| 2021 | 48 | 2 | 134 |
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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,569 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- book review,000 words = approx. 12-15 genko yoshi. Book review: 1,500 words = approx. 6-7 genko yoshi. Contributors in either languagemain text ≤ 1,500 words
- book reviewsSSJJ publishes original work in five broad categories: general articles, survey articles, research notes, review essays and book reviews.Length not stated
- general articlesSSJJ publishes original work in five broad categories: general articles, survey articles, research notes, review essays and book reviews.Length not stated
- research notesSSJJ publishes original work in five broad categories: general articles, survey articles, research notes, review essays and book reviews.Length not stated
- review,000 words = approx. 24-27 genko yoshi. Review essay: 3,000 words = approx. 12-15 genko yoshi. Book review: 1,500 words = appmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- review essaysSSJJ publishes original work in five broad categories: general articles, survey articles, research notes, review essays and book reviews.Length not stated
- survey,000 words = approx. 40-45 genko yoshi. Survey article: 6,000 words = approx. 24-27 genko yoshi. Review essay: 3,000 words = apmain text ≤ 6,000 words
- survey articlesSSJJ publishes original work in five broad categories: general articles, survey articles, research notes, review essays and book reviews.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving
- AI use Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools
Generative AI use allowed with full disclosure Model summary
We expect our authors to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools responsibly and ask for full disclosure in case AI tools such as large language models were used for tasks including language improvement, data analysis or code generation. Statements on the use of AI tools must include the name and model of such tools. Authors remain fully responsible for their submitted content. Detailed …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of Data and Materials
Where ethically feasible, SSJJ strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files, or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. Information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositories by…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
This journal is a member of and subscribes to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) publicationethics.org
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License to Publish
It is a condition of publication in the journal that authors grant an exclusive license to the journal, published by Oxford University Press. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. In assigning the license, authors may use their own material in other publi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Information for Authors
Funding sources must be named at submission (Crossref Funding Data Registry) Model summary
Social Science Japan Journal offers the option of publishing under either a standard license or an open access license. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution. Should you wish to publish your article open access…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Double-anonymized peer review Model summary
If the SSJJ Editorial Board deems a submission to be worthy of consideration for publication, the manuscript will be reviewed by at least two (2) external referees selected by the Board.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Author Self-Archiving/Public Access policy
Author self-archiving policy available on separate page Model summary
For information about this journal's policy, please visit our Author Self-Archiving policy page.
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
- Oxford University Press
- ISSN
- 1369-1465
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2680
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 29, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Science Japan Journal
What CAS zone is Social Science Japan Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Science Japan Journal is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Area Studies / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Social Science Japan Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.42; CiteScore 2, h-index 43.
What are the manuscript requirements of Social Science Japan Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–300 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index Social Science Japan Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Science Japan Journal is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EconLit; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Social Science Japan Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Social Science Japan Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,569.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .