The impact of the internationalization of political science on publishing in two languages: the case of Japan, 1971–2023

Recent advancements in bibliometrics have explored various academic dynamics like career peaks and citation impacts, with political science research highlighting gender disparities and co-authorship trends that vary by region. However, these studies often focus on Western contexts, missing contributions from non-Western regions, which underscores the need for expanding research to include multilingual publishing practices and diverse global perspectives to better understand the internationalization of the Social Sciences and Humanities. This study focuses on the internationalization trajectories of political science in Japan, specifically examining the publishing practices of Japanese political scientists in both English and Japanese. The study reveals a generational shift in which younger scientists, especially those working abroad, are increasingly publishing in English. This shift towards publishing in English contrasts with the practices of those working in Japan, who predominantly publish in Japanese and have not significantly adopted co-authorship. This article notes a decline in book publications in both English and Japanese among Japanese political scientists. This trend indicates a broader preference for peer-reviewed articles over books, driven by professional pressures in Japan. The study uses descriptive statistics, text analysis, network analysis, and qualitative analysis to explore these trends, highlighting the influence of internationalization on Japanese political science publication strategies.