I've read many literature on selective mutism on international peer reviewed journals (e.g. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). The authors are American, European, or even Israeli. But I've rarely seen Japanese.
Japanese researchers contribute to domestic journals. But almost none of them to international peer reviewed journals.
From Bachelor of Economics' point of view, it's odd. Some Japanese economists contribute their papers to international peer reviewed journals. It's an honor for them to appear in such journals, especially top journals. That's an incentive for them.
Of course, there can be no comparison between economics and child psychiatry. But it's common that researchers discuss issues on international journals.
Why do Japanese researchers contribute only to domestic journals? Some of them must know that international discussion on selective mutism exist, because they cite many English-written literature.
As far as I know, so do Chinese and Korean researchers.
Index of SM in Japan
