image: An example of Open Access indicators provided by the Japan Open Science Monitor (Beta Version)
Credit: © NII
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The Research Center for Open Science and Data Platform(*1) (RCOS, Director: TANIFUJI Mikiko) at the National Institute of Informatics (NII, Director General: KUROHASHI Sadao; Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) released the beta version of the "Japan Open Science Monitor" (Link: https://osm.nii.ac.jp/) (Figure 1) on March 3, 2026. This service is designed to visualize the progress of open science in Japan.
In recent years, it has become increasingly important to observe and evaluate the progress of open science. Based on the framework of the French Open Science Monitor(*2), a pioneering observatory service developed and operated by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space (MESRE), this service calculates and provides open access indicators for Japanese publications. This enables the measurement of Japan's current standing in open science using global standard metrics.
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Background and Challenges
The international demand for open science monitoring(*3)—the observation and evaluation of open science progress—has been rising, driven by initiatives such as the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. Utilizing open science monitoring to objectively understand the open access rates of research articles and the status of research data sharing is essential for formulating appropriate research policies and designing effective incentives for researchers to practice open science. However, conventional monitoring methods often suffer from lack of transparency regarding their calculation logic, presenting significant challenges in ensuring reliability and reproducibility. Furthermore, there has been a pressing need to implement a platform where Japan's open science progress can be observed using global standard metrics, allowing for direct comparisons with foreign countries.
Overview
NII is developing the Japan Open Science Monitor by adopting the methodology of the French Open Science Monitor, which is internationally recognized as a leading example of open science monitoring. As part of this initiative, the beta version of the Japan Open Science Monitor has been released to provide open access indicators specifically for publications.
The French Open Science Monitor is developed and operated by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space (MESRE) and other partners based on open source code and open data. Following this methodology, the Japan Open Science Monitor calculates and provides open access indicators for Japanese publications by utilizing OpenAlex(*4), an open bibliographic database operated by the nonprofit organization OurResearch based in the United States. It becomes possible to measure Japan's current progress in open science using open data and global standard metrics.
Social Significance and Expected Impact
By providing indicators based on open data, the Japan Open Science Monitor ensures reliability and enables highly transparent discussions, thereby contributing to the further advancement of open science in Japan. Furthermore, by implementing the methodology of the globally recognized French Open Science Monitor, Japan can clearly demonstrate its open science progress to the international community. This contributes to a deeper understanding of Japanese research activities through comparative analysis with foreign countries.
Future Outlook
While the monitor currently only implements open access indicators for publications, we plan to expand the scope to include a wider range of indicators, such as research data and software. This expansion will take into account user feedback, open science policy trends, and international precedents. Furthermore, recognizing that OpenAlex does not yet comprehensively capture open access content from Japanese institutional repositories, we will work to integrate the Institutional Repositories Database (IRDB) (*5) as an additional data source. This will establish a system capable of providing more accurate open access indicators. Moving forward, we intend to explore collaboration with other data sources to realize an open science monitoring system tailored to the unique research environment of Japan.
Comment from MOULLET Jean-Luc, the director general for Research and Innovation, French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space (MESRE):
France has committed to applying the principles of Open Science to its Open Science Monitor. As a result, the code, user interface, methodology, and data are all made freely reusable under clear open science licenses, with the requirement to acknowledge the contributions of those involved.
We are delighted that Japan has embraced this approach, as it strengthens cooperation between our two countries in the field of Open Science. The collective benefits are clear: it accelerates the opening of science in both nations and establishes a unified framework for measuring Open Science.
Comment from TANIFUJI Mikiko, the director of NII's Research Center for Open Science and Data Platform:
The promotion of open science requires visualizing its progress through objective and highly transparent methodologies. By adopting the framework of the internationally acclaimed French Open Science Monitor and utilizing open data, the Japan Open Science Monitor provides trusted indicators that are verifiable by anyone. This allows us to understand the current standing of Japanese research activities in a format that enables international comparison, facilitating evidence-based research policy-making. Moving forward, we intend to strengthen data integration with institutional repositories—a key strength of Japan—and evolve this platform into a monitoring infrastructure that is uniquely Japanese yet globally open, covering not only publications but also research data and software. We are confident that this service will contribute to the dialogue and further advancement of open science within Japan's academic community.
The development of the Japan Open Science Monitor was primarily supported by a grant from the “Open Access Acceleration Project” (*6) by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
(*1) Research Center for Open Science and Data Platform: The center was established within the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in April 2017 to develop and operate the academic infrastructure serving as the foundation for open science, following the growing global momentum in the field. There is a worldwide expectation that as research articles and data are shared widely across academia and society, and a broad range of research activities are conducted openly, research will accelerate and problem-solving through close collaboration with society will advance. This shift is expected to move academic activities into a new dimension: Open Science. For more details, please visit: https://rcos.nii.ac.jp/en/
(*2) French Open Science Monitor: A service that monitors and visualizes the progress of open science in France based on open data and open source. Developed and operated by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space (MESRE) and other partners, it is recognized internationally as a pioneering example of open science observation. For more details, please visit: https://frenchopensciencemonitor.esr.gouv.fr/
(*3) Open Science Monitoring: The process of observing and evaluating activities related to the principles and practices of open science.
(*4) OpenAlex: An open bibliographic database that comprehensively covers scholarly publications, such as research articles, and institutional information. It is developed and operated by OurResearch, a nonprofit organization based in the United States.
(*5) Institutional Repositories Database (IRDB): A database operated by the NII that collects and provides metadata records from institutional repositories of universities and research institutions across Japan.
(*6) Open Access Acceleration Project: A subsidy project implemented in fiscal year 2024 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to promote open access to scholarly publications. The program aimed to facilitate the dissemination and utilization of Japan’s research outputs by supporting institutional infrastructure development and contract assistance at universities and other research institutions. For more details, please visit: https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/boshu/detail/1421775_00008.htm (only in Japanese)
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About the National Institute of Informatics (NII)
NII is Japan's only academic research institute dedicated to the new discipline of informatics. Its mission is to "create future value" in informatics. NII conducts both long-term basic research and practical research aimed at solving social problems in a wide range of informatics research fields, from fundamental theories to the latest topics, such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, and information security.
As an inter-university research institute, NII builds and operates academic information infrastructure essential for the research and educational activities of the entire academic community (including the Science Information Network) as well as developing services such as those that enable the provision of academic content and service platforms.
https://www.nii.ac.jp/en/
About the Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS)
ROIS is a parent organization of four national institutes (National Institute of Polar Research, National Institute of Informatics, the Institute of Statistical Mathematics and National Institute of Genetics) and the Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research. It is ROIS's mission to promote integrated, cutting-edge research that goes beyond the barriers of these institutions, in addition to facilitating their research activities, as members of inter-university research institutes.