Taylor & Francis and University of Tsukuba take JIG publishing platform nationwide

Taylor & Francis has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of Tsukuba to expand the Japan Institutional Gateway (JIG) research publishing platform and support the publication of English-language books by researchers at the university.

The platform, which is jointly operated by Taylor & Francis and the University of Tsukuba, was previously limited to the university and its affiliated institutions. Under the new agreement JIG will open article submissions to researchers from universities and research institutions across Japan through a new initiative known as the All Japanese University Area (AJUA).

The expansion is intended to support the acceleration of the open research movement promoted by the Japanese government by providing researchers nationwide with access to a publishing platform capable of delivering Japanese-language research outputs with greater speed and visibility.

JIG was established as a next-generation digital publishing platform designed to challenge some of the conventions of scholarly publishing through three core innovations: publication in Japanese with international discoverability, rapid publication workflows, and open peer review.

Unlike most international journals, which require submissions in English, JIG accepts manuscripts in Japanese in humanities and social sciences disciplines. This allows research on topics such as Japanese history and society to be published in Japanese while still being indexed in international research databases including Scopus, improving visibility and citation opportunities among researchers outside Japan.

The platform also aims to significantly reduce publication delays. Once manuscripts have passed initial quality checks and formatting requirements, papers can be published open access within days or weeks rather than months, allowing researchers to disseminate findings on emerging social trends and current issues while they remain timely and relevant.

JIG additionally adopts an open peer review model. Rather than relying solely on traditional pre-publication peer review, papers are first made publicly available before experts from around the world are invited to provide evaluations and recommendations under their real names.

According to the partners, the transparent review process is intended to encourage wider academic discussion while also supporting research integrity and fraud prevention in the era of generative AI.

By opening the platform to researchers across the country, Taylor & Francis and the University of Tsukuba aim to transform JIG from a pilot initiative involving a limited number of institutions into a national gateway for Japanese research.

The partners said they hope the expanded platform will help disseminate Japanese scholarship more widely internationally, increasing its visibility and influence while contributing to the evolution of global scholarly publishing.