The Japanese government has approved a new programme for promoting intellectual property, aiming to enhance its international presence in the IP field.

At the meeting of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters chaired by prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, officials emphasized plans to integrate artificial intelligence into IP development and management, as well as to attract foreign talent to stimulate innovation.

“Intellectual property is an important revenue source for Japan and plays a critical role in bolstering Japanese companies’ competitiveness,” Ishiba said. “To create competitive intellectual properties, we will thoroughly reinforce AI utilization.”

The initiative includes efforts to attract world-class researchers in AI and other related fields and to support entrepreneurs in developing talent linked to IP. These efforts aim to improve Japan’s performance in key evaluation categories, such as foreign investment, where it currently lags behind.

As part of its soft-power strategy, the Japanese government also aims to accelerate growth in industries linked to “Cool Japan,” particularly anime and anime tourism, which promotes travel to real-world locations featured in anime media. The government intends to increase the associated sectors’ economic effect to ¥50 trillion (US$344.5 billion) by 2033.

The plan further addresses emerging legal issues around IP, including questions of authorship in AI-generated innovations. It calls for swift action to clarify inventor recognition and explore updates to laws like Design Law to better protect digital works in virtual spaces such as the metaverse. 

A new public-private command centre and targeted support in eight areas – including disaster management and digital technologies – are part of the strategy’s first revamp in 19 years. During the headquarters meeting, the government also decided to implement a new plan to have Japanese product standards accepted globally.

An earlier report introduces the key pillars and ambitions behind the 2025 IP strategy.

- Excel V. Dyquiangco