Current trends and future directions in Japanese lexical processing: a review

Japanese lexical processing is a research area that spans across the fields of linguistics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Despite significant advances, there remains a lack of reviews synthesizing the diverse strands of research within this field. This review aims to map the major research themes, identify the trend topics, and outline future directions, thereby filling a gap in the literature. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this review utilizes quantitative bibliometric analysis combined with qualitative content assessment. Data were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection, focusing on publications from 1981 to 2024. The analysis included the detailed examination of keyword frequencies, and thematic categorizations to understand the evolution of research within the field. The analysis identified several dominant themes, including “visual word processing”, “bilingualism”, and “neurological correlates”, reflecting the core and motor themes of the research. Emerging themes such as “advanced neuroimaging techniques” and “cross-linguistic influences” were recognized as pivotal areas gaining traction. The study also highlighted significant research gaps and suggested potential new directions for future research, emphasizing the need for more integrated and technologically advanced studies. This review contributes to the field of Japanese lexical processing by providing an overview of the research landscape and pinpointing areas for further investigation. It not only synthesizes the existing body of knowledge but also sets the stage for future research endeavors, advocating for an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the gap between empirical findings and practical applications. This structured synthesis aims to inspire further research that will enhance our understanding of lexical processing in the Japanese language and beyond.