Payment Procedures

For all journals published by our society, APC billing is issued through the PayPal system once the peer-review process has been completed and the manuscript has been accepted. As manuscripts are considered finalized for publication only after payment has been confirmed, we kindly ask authors to cooperate in ensuring a smooth and efficient payment process.

Process from Invoice to Payment

Regarding the process from invoice to payment, an estimate will first be sent via PayPal to the contact address designated by the author. To issue the official invoice, please follow the instructions provided in the estimate email and approve the estimate. After approval, an editorial staff member will verify the request and then issue and send the official invoice via PayPal. Upon receiving the invoice email, please proceed with the payment through the PayPal system.

Refund Policy

If the APC has already been paid and the manuscript has entered the editorial process, the fee is non-refundable even if the author later requests withdrawal of the article. If the author wishes to withdraw the manuscript at the invoicing stage—after the peer-review process has been completed but before payment—minimum actual costs must be covered. A fee of 9,200 JPY (tax included) per manuscript will be charged to cover a portion of the system usage fee and the reviewer-related costs. Once payment of these charges has been confirmed, the accepted status will be withdrawn from the system. Until confirmation is completed, however, the manuscript will remain in the “accepted” status. Please note that until this procedure is fully resolved, we are unable to accept any new submissions from the same author.

Author Responsibilities for Ensuring Accurate Payment Confirmation

To ensure accurate confirmation of payment, every invoice is assigned an individual invoice number. Payment for the APC is verified based on this invoice number, so authors are required to make payment using the link provided in the PayPal email. Payments made outside this procedure, such as sending funds directly through PayPal without using the invoice link, may result in delays in payment confirmation. A manuscript is treated as finalized for publication only after payment has been confirmed. Therefore, the editorial office cannot be held responsible for any delays in publication resulting from delayed payment confirmation.

When Payment via PayPal Is Not Possible

If payment through PayPal is technically difficult, alternative arrangements may be proposed depending on the circumstances. In the past, authors based in Iraq have encountered difficulties because PayPal services were not available in that region. If you believe this may apply to you, please contact the editorial office of the respective journal.

Discontinuation of APC Payments via Bank Transfer

As part of a comprehensive restructuring of our payment procedures, our society will no longer accept APC payments made by bank transfer for any of our journals. In particular, international bank transfers may involve significant time lags of several weeks in verifying the sender’s information, making timely and accurate confirmation of payment difficult. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation regarding this change.

Published 1, December, 2025