Japan to lift intellectual property competitiveness via AI use
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (3rd from R) speaks at a meeting on the country's intellectual policy strategy on Tuesday. Some ministers wore kariyushi -- a summer shirt from Okinawa.
The Japanese government said Tuesday it will seek to enhance the country's competitiveness in the area of intellectual property by promoting the use of artificial intelligence and attracting foreign talent.
In the intellectual property strategy for 2025, the country will take advantage of the international popularity of Japanese anime and the content of such movies that highlights local culture to help promote regional economies, expecting a total economic impact of around 1 trillion yen.
"Intellectual property and technology, the sources of our country's earning power, are extremely important to ensure corporate competitiveness," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a meeting on the strategy at his office.
The strategy set a target to raise the country's standing in the World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index to fourth or higher by 2035. Japan ranked 13th in 2024, coming below South Korea in sixth and China in 11th.
Published annually, the index ranks 132 economies using over 80 indicators including measures on the policy environment, education and infrastructure.
Japan will consider recognizing the patent rights of individuals who have developed AI used to create new technologies as rules are currently vague regarding how to evaluate contributions made by a developer of AI, according to the plan.
The strategy stressed the need to attract top talent from abroad, while supporting human resources development and promoting public-private cooperation in eight strategic fields such as energy, disaster prevention and mobility to make more Japanese technologies international standards.
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