Overview of Industrial Technology Policy/Innovation Policy

Aiming to enhance Japan’s industrial technology capabilities through the creation of innovation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has been developing private sector environments in which innovation will be encouraged, while advancing a variety of government initiatives for enriching intellectual resources.

Basic Approach to Industrial Technology Policy

Japan faces a variety of societal challenges. Being the first to develop concrete solutions to these problems which can be then scaled to other nations may create momentum in the country, allowing us to open and dominate large markets in new growth fields around the world. To this end, it is necessary for Japan to create innovation while placing revolutionary technologies at the core. With this in mind, METI has been holding meetings of the R&D and Innovation Subcommittee of the Committee on Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment under the Industrial Structure Council since December 2015, and the subcommittee has compiled the results of the meetings into an interim report on the efforts for promoting innovation.

The summary of the report is as follows:

• “Initiatives for Promoting Innovation” (Summary of the report submitted by the subcommittee) (PDF：238KB)
• “Initiatives for Promoting Innovation [Reference materials]” (PDF：238KB)

Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management in Government-commissioned Research and Development

Aiming to have intellectual property managed appropriately in government-commissioned R&D projects in Japan, in 2015 METI compiled a list of issues to be considered by leading administrative Japanese government officials into operational guidelines.

• Outline of the Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management in Government-commissioned Research and Development (PDF：168KB)
• Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management in Government-commissioned Research and Development (in Japanese) (PDF：478KB)
• Related laws and regulations
  • Industrial Technology Enhancement Act
  • Order for Enforcement of the Industrial Technology Enhancement Act (in Japanese)

International Cooperation

• Overview of International Cooperation in Industrial Technology(PDF:712KB)

Links & Related Information

• National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
• New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
• NEDO Technology Strategy Center (TSC) (in Japanese)
• Council for Science, Technology and Innovation

Division in Charge

Industrial Science and Technology Policy Division, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau