OASE+ (Open Access for Scholarly Empowerment +), a collective negotiating body established with support from the Japanese government to advance the country’s national open access policy, and Elsevier have agreed to a new three-year read-and-publish agreement covering 2027 through 2029. The agreement removes the annual limit on open access articles published in eligible Core Hybrid journals and extends participation beyond universities to national research and development agencies.
The new agreement builds on the framework established by Elsevier and the Japan Alliance of University Library Consortia for E-Resources (JUSTICE) for 2024–2026. The existing framework enables participating Japanese research institutions to expand open access publishing according to their individual needs while maintaining access to scholarly journals.
Beginning in 2027, researchers at participating institutions will be able to publish open access in eligible Core Hybrid journals without an annual cap on the number of articles, subject to the agreement’s terms. Researchers will retain the choice of whether to publish their work open access, providing greater flexibility in meeting institutional and funder requirements.
A separate agreement will extend the same approach to Cell Press Hybrid journals. Institutions subscribing to eligible Cell Press Hybrid titles will receive reading access and open access publishing coverage for their subscribed titles. The agreement will run from 2027 through 2029 without an annual limit on the number of open access articles.
For the first time, eligibility will extend beyond universities to national research and development agencies, broadening participation across Japan’s publicly funded research sector.
The agreement supports Japan’s efforts to increase the international visibility of its research, encourage cross-border collaboration, and improve access to research findings for use in science, professional practice, and policymaking. It also aligns with the Japanese government’s National Policy on Promoting Open Access to Publicly Funded Scholarly Publications and Scientific Data.
According to the organizations, the agreement follows extended negotiations between OASE+ and Elsevier. Its terms reflect the findings of a survey of institutes interested in participating in the read-and-publish framework, as well as experience gained through the existing agreement.
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