Rehabilitation research in China and Japan

Objective: Despite recent developments in global communication networks in medicine, researchers whose first language is not English are confronted by a dilemma; international demand to publish their works in English as the de facto common language and domestic needs to maintain a high level of research activity. To facilitate more contributions by non-English speaking researchers we reviewed rehabilitation research in China and Japan. Design and methods: The review was conducted by investigating 4 Chinese journals and the Japanese journal on rehabilitation medicine (1997/1999-2001), financial information from the proceedings of the Annual Congress of the Chinese Society (2000-02) and government grants given for research in Japan (1998-2000). Results: In China, half of the articles focused on the effects of physical modality and therapeutic exercise on normal subjects. Most funds came from a Natural Science Foundation run by the central government. The Japanese journal contained a small number of clinical trials and many experimental studies. The number of applications for government grants increased. Conclusion: Though rehabilitation research is a relatively young branch of medical science, research in both China and Japan has been increasing. In the future we should organize clinical research to satisfy the needs of specific socioeconomic backgrounds and overcome the dilemma between global and domestic activities.