Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders rankings: are China’s East Asian neighbours keeping pace with it?

An engineer at Japan-based robotics firm Enactic uses a virtual-reality headset to test robotic arms in the company’s office in Tokyo. Credit: Philip Fong/AFP via Getty China has continued its steep rise in research output, according to Nature Index’s annual rankings, but there is growing evidence that other East Asian countries are also challenging major research nations in Europe and North America. …