Objectives: To elucidate the medical investigators' view on the recognition of structured abstracts, their advantages, and their adoption by medical journals published by Japanese societies. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 6 major items and 24 minor items was sent to medical investigators in Japan in June 2003, and the replies came from 129 of them (valid reply rate: 43%). Statistical tests were used to compare the view on structured abstracts among different groups in the responders. Results: Of the 129 responders, 101 (78.3%) knew structured abstracts, and 96 (74.4%) accepted affirmatively them as their readers. Sixty-six (51.2%) replied that they themselves had ever submitted using a structured abstract. Adoption of structured abstracts by Japanese medical journals was expected to spread by 79 respondents (61.2%). The usefulness of structured abstracts was more highly perceived by investigators in clinical research than by those in basic medical research, and more highly by investigators who had submitted using a structured abstracts than those who never had. Conclusions: A preference for structured abstracts over traditional ones was confirmed by Japanese medical investigators. Structured abstracts are expected to become increasingly adopted by medical journals in Japan.