Looking back on 50 years of cell biology in Japan.

Abstract

Cell Structure and Function (CSF), the official journal of the Japan Society for Cell Biology (JSCB), celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025. This essay traces the scientific evolution of CSF from its founding in 1975 to the present, drawing on bibliometric data retrieved from OpenAlex at ten-year intervals. Over five decades, CSF published 1,737 articles, with the Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) showing a consistent upward trend, even as total output declined following the journal's shift to electronic publication in 2005. A decade-by-decade analysis of the five most-cited articles reveals a clear evolution in research themes: early issues were dominated by plant cell biology and methodological papers in microscopy and biochemistry, while subsequent decades saw increasing focus on autophagy, the unfolded protein response, and intracellular membrane trafficking-fields in which Japanese researchers have played globally recognized pioneering roles. The turn of the millennium marked a peak in absolute citations, with landmark papers on bafilomycin A1, SNARE proteins, and a review of autophagy co-authored by Nobel Prize laureate Yoshinori Ohsumi. Two major milestones-electronic publication in 2005 and gold open-access adoption in 2016-fundamentally transformed the journal's publishing model. Looking ahead, the essay considers the role of artificial intelligence in peer review, arguing that while AI can assist in assessing novelty and reproducibility, the judgment of a manuscript's scientific significance must remain a human responsibility. CSF remains committed to disseminating reliable, foundational cell biology to the international community.Key words: Cell Structure and Function (CSF), bibliometrics, open access, artificial intelligence in peer review.