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- State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ogushi and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Takeuchi Attend Chief Standardization Officer (CSO) Workshops
State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ogushi and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Takeuchi Attend Chief Standardization Officer (CSO) Workshops
October 3, 2025
On Monday, September 29, and Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) held workshops for chief standardization officers (CSOs) who lead standardization activities in companies. Mr. Ogushi Masaki, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Mr. Takeuchi Shinji, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, delivered remarks at each workshop. CSOs and intellectual property officers from a wide range of industries gathered at these workshops to deliver presentations and hold group discussions.
CSOs (chief standardization officers) are executive-level people in charge of leading a company’s standardization activities, building internal systems, and developing human resources. In recent years, as competition to form international rules has intensified, standardization has become increasingly important as a tool that connects technology and innovation with markets, and companies are being asked to engage in strategic standardization activities to strengthen their competitiveness. For this reason, METI encourages each company to establish a CSO.
The CSO Workshop was launched in 2022 with the aim of enhancing the activities of CSOs themselves and strengthening collaboration between CSOs, and this marks the fourth round of workshops. In light of the growing importance of both market creation and expansion through standardization, as well as differentiation from competitors through intellectual property, these areas have become increasingly significant in companies’ management and business strategies. This year, intellectual property officers from companies also participated in the workshops. This allowed for a lively exchange of views from a wide range of perspectives. State Minister Ogushi and Parliamentary Vice-Minister Takeuchi delivered remarks at the workshops, stressing that standardization is not merely the unification of technical specifications but is a management strategy itself, and that not only the government’s initiatives but also proactive efforts by companies and on-site workers are the driving forces behind standardization.
METI will continue its efforts to further spread awareness that standardization is an important means for creating and expanding markets and that strategic standardization activities at individual companies will lead to increased corporate value.
Division in Charge
Standards and Conformity Assessment Policy Division, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau