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Reports that for the second half of 1989, Japanese research groups take two out of the top three positions in the lists of the most cited papers in biology and physics. Brief list of noted papers.

Reveals a survey by the Washington-based `Science Watch' journal of the `hottest' research papers coming out of Japan. Japan appears to be strongest in basic research in biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology, and weakest in engineering technology and applied science.

The article discusses a research misconduct case that damaged the reputation of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Kobe, Japan. Topics include papers on pluripotent stem cells in the journal "Nature" that discussed the use of the stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) technique by biochemist Haruko Obokata, a committee report led by materials scientist Teruo Kishi, and the impact of media scrutiny on the scandal.

The article cites a U.S. report that states that Asian nations are catching up with Europe and the United States in terms of scientific output. According to the report, in 2004, countries from the Asia Pacific region including China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and India produced 25 percent of the world's research papers. By comparison, Europe produced 38 percent of the world's scientific papers, and the United States produced 33 percent. Within Asia, China, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan grew the most. In China, some institutions even pay researchers extra for publications in indexed journals, especially ones that carry widely cited articles.

The article reports on the result of the investigation on the series of RNA studies from the laboratory of biochemist Kazunari Taira conducted by the University of Tokyo in Japan. The investigation claimed that there is a high possibility that fraud was involved in a series of studies and that the paper in question had no reproducibility and no credibility.

Presents the results on a study of Japanese scientists and their research. The assertion that researchers should place more emphasis on quality and less on quantity of papers they publish; Percentage of scientists who communicate with foreign researchers; Further findings of the report from the Science and Technology Agency (STA).

Discusses the practices of Japanese scientists regarding research. A report indicating that many Japanese scientists do not publish internationally; Percentage that publish only in Japanese journals; Focus on numerical output of research papers; Other findings of the study.

Describes the state of scientific research at universities in Japan, as of January 1, 1998. Chronic problems faced; Quality of papers produced in Japan; Plans to double number of postdoctoral fellows; Concerns of faculty about lowering standards; Faculty subject to government regulations; Need for nationwide external review system; Need for reform of university management.

Looks at an annual white paper from the Science and Technology Agency, that reveals that local governments provide a growing share of public spending on research in Japan. The Council of Science and Technology, Japan's highest science policy-making body; More.

Reveals some of the statistics from the US National Science Board's biennial report, Science and Engineering Indicators--1989. Japan has a lower rate of foreign co-authorship on research papers than any other Western nation. Other brief details.