Abstract
I previously reported on the present crisis in publication activity regarding anesthesia research in Japan through editorials in the Journal of Anesthesia and Masui. In the present analysis I focus on anesthesia clinical research papers to estimate publication activity in Japan. As in previous analyses, I found that the publication of clinical research from Japan in 3 major anesthesia journals (Anesthesiology, Br J Anaesth and Anesth Analg) has declined greatly year after year. The number of papers from Japan that have been published has been lower than the number from China and South Korea since 2012. Between 2003 and 2014, publication declined by 83% in the 3 major journals and by 31% in all other anesthesia journals. Although the number of members of the Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists (JSA) increased by around 40% from 2003 to 2014, the number of publications is still declining and it is surprising that one article is published per 150 JSA members now. All Japanese anesthesiologists need to be aware of this serious problem.
