Studies of higher education by scholars based in Asia have been growing in volume, following worldwide trends. To a large extent, this growth has been driven by East Asian countries, but little is known about the characteristics of the contribution of these countries. This study analyses their overall and specific contribution. The paper concludes that systemic development and its internationalization, have different impacts on trends towards international publication of higher education research and on the collaborative networks nurtured and developed in each East Asian country. The main finding is that these countries present different realities in terms of engagement in internationally focused higher education literature among their national research communities. Yet, each country has made a wide-ranging contribution to international higher education research literature over time; each has a potentially decisive role in the further integration and development of higher education research in Asia over the coming years; and also, possibly, in the development of a regional higher education system.