Nature steps up the pace in Asia

Another major US STM publisher, the Macmillan's Nature Publishing Group, has announced a significant expansion of its activities in Asia. Effective today, the company says it will transform its Japanese representative office into a fully-fledged publishing hub. Nature Japan KK along with the publisher's Hong Kong and Melbourne offices will come together to form NPG Nature Asia-Pacific.

One of the major impacts of this decision will be the location for the first time of editors for the journal Nature in Asia. The company says that it expects to expand its editorial staff in both Japan and China.

For many years, the major STM publishers have concentrated on selling their international journals to university libraries and research institutes in developed markets like Japan, Australia and Hong Kong. Several of them are now taking advantage of significantly increased interest among researchers in the region in publishing in their own, Asian journals as well as having a more direct route to publication in the most prestigious international journals.

In late November, John Wiley also announced a major upgrade of its Asian operations, this time in Singapore.