Transparency in Publication Decisions at Jxiv, Japan's Only National Preprint Server: An Observational Study from an Author's Perspective

This paper observes and records the publication decision process of Jxiv, Japan's only national preprint server, from the perspective of a submitting author. The analysis is based on three sources of observation: (1) quantitative data on publication delays compiled by the author; (2) comparative analysis of publication decisions across papers by the same author in the same field on the same theme; and (3) JST's official response obtained through Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications administrative consultation system. These observations identified multiple cases in which Jxiv's publication decisions could not be explained by its publicly stated criteria alone. JST's official response also confirmed that screening by field-specific experts is conducted. This paper does not aim to criticize Jxiv, but to record the operational reality of a public infrastructure.