We are always happy to receive pitches and ideas for any piece that fits our site’s mission—which is a very broad remit! Feel free to pitch anything that focuses on contemporary Japan, from politics and economics pieces to discussions of culture, technology and society.
We’re not a peer-reviewed publication, but we do check every article submitted to ensure that it meets standards of academic rigor. We encourage writers to express their own views and ideas but we expect those to be backed up with solid research, a keen understanding of the field and a logical, coherent argument.
Our editorial process is open and transparent—we’ll give you as much feedback as possible and while we may make small edits to fix things like spelling or grammar, for any large change we’ll work with you directly. We’re happy to go through a few drafts of your article with you to ensure that everyone is satisfied with the final product. If you’re writing about something none of our editors is expert in, we may ask a professor or other established person in that field to anonymously comment on your article during the editorial process—a little like a “light touch” peer review process.
In general we adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style, but we’ve also produced a gradually evolving list of style considerations specific to Tokyo Review. You don’t need to study this carefully, but it might be useful to glance through it before you start writing.
What should I send?
We strongly recommend that before you start writing, you contact us with a brief pitch outlining what you plan to write, why you are an appropriate person to do so, and any details of how you will go about researching or investigating the topic.
Pieces should generally be limited to under 1000 words, but if you have a great idea for a “long read”, we’d be happy to discuss it with you.
Please provide links in the text where relevant; you don’t need to reference your article like an academic essay, but should provide sources and links to further reading if you can.
If you have a high-quality image suitable for illustrating your article, please send it with the piece. If the image does not belong to you and is not licensed under Creative Commons (or similar), you must show that you have permission to use it.
We’re happy to read any and all submissions, but we reserve the right to edit pieces prior to publication, or not to publish them at all. If major edits are required (i.e. something more than just fixing grammar and expression), we’ll send you comments and suggestions for a revised piece.
