In 2026, JNI reviewers continue to make outstanding contributions to the peer review process. They demonstrated professional effort and enthusiasm in their reviews and provided comments that genuinely help the authors to enhance their work.

Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding reviewers, with a brief interview of their thoughts and insights as a reviewer. Allow us to express our heartfelt gratitude for their tremendous effort and valuable contributions to the scientific process.

Maoki Matsubara, New Tokyo Hospital, Japan

Maoki Matsubara

Dr. Maoki Matsubara is a staff member in the Department of Neurosurgery at Shin-Tokyo Hospital in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. He graduated from Nippon Medical School in 2018 and has since been involved in surgery, research, and the education of residents at Shin-Tokyo Hospital. His primary research area focuses on cerebrovascular disorders, although he also conducts some clinical research on neurological trauma. He is involved in approximately 200 surgeries annually as a lead surgeon and plans to intensify his research efforts in the field of stroke prevention in the future.

To Dr. Matsubara, reviewers should always bear in mind the potential contribution of the work to medicine and to the progress of society. They should maintain a perspective on how new discoveries and insights can provide benefits. Also, they must conduct a fair review of the paper. Even in case reports or small studies, there may be valuable findings that could lead to subsequent larger studies; therefore, thorough examination and careful reading are necessary. He believes that the process of peer review, regardless of the journal, contributes to the advancement of medicine. “Let’s work together to be of help, even if just little by little,” he says.

Speaking of data sharing in scientific writing, Dr. Matsubara says that while it poses ethical challenges, difficulties with informed consent, and issues related to data handling, he believes that if we can address these problems, it is essential for the advancement of medical research. He points out that each physician can only see a limited number of patients, and disparities among researchers due to differences in facilities at research institutions also exist. Therefore, he thinks data sharing should progress further.

(by Naomi Hu, Brad Li)