Reflection

Congratulations on the 100th anniversary of Journal of Biochemistry (JB). It is the pride of The Japanese Biochemical Society (JBS) to have faced this wonderful event. As embarrassing as this is to say, I did not know the history of JB until I was appointed as Editor-in-Chief. Prof. Samuro Kakiuchi launched JB in 1922 to distribute the scientific achievements from the JB members in English at his own expenses. There are two surprising facts for me. One is that Prof. Kakiuchi decided to use English as the journal language, because German was supposed to be the major language in Japanese Medical Science and Medicine in the beginning of the 20th century. He had great foresight that English would become the international language rather than German. Another point is that JB was launched by his private funds. I heartily respect Prof. Kakiuchi’s contributions to JB and JBS. The JBS members must not forget his achievements.

During 2014–2017 when I was appointed Editor-in-Chief, I planned to release JB special reviews, which focused on an attractive topic, in January and February issues of each year. Although JB releases one or two review articles every month, the special issue collects four review articles for the single topic. My intension for this plan was that readers would be interested in JB and it would contribute to the increase of Impact Factor (IF). The Journal IF is frequently used as the primary parameter that compares the scientific output of individuals and institutions. Both advantages and disadvantages of IF have been argued in academia. We, JBS, signed DORA (Declaration on Research Assessment) in 2014. DORA recommends not to use journal-based metrics, such as Journal IF, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist’s contributions or in hiring, promotion or funding decisions. We understand that IF is just one of the parameters that assess the quality of the journal, but we researchers tend to submit our own manuscripts to a so-called high-impact journal. Therefore, to increase IF in JB may be one of the ways that the readers would submit their high-quality manuscripts to the journal.

I love the sound of ‘Biochemistry’, but for the younger generation, it may sound old-fashioned. In relation to this, IFs of ‘Biochemistry’-related journals, including the Journal of Biological Chemistry, have declined. In the bigger picture, the technology that comprehensively measures the cellular functions in large quantities has been developing during these two decades. We, biochemists, have focused on molecules, analysed their functions in the cells and organs and clarified the mechanisms of regulation and response of life. To focus on a single molecule may not be out of touch with the modern life science research. But, I believe that molecular-based research is absolutely important for the understanding of the whole picture of life and diseases, and expect that JB would be a more attractive journal in the near future.