TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:

INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS

Japan

The following communication, dated 13 September 2024, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Japan.

_______________

1  TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

1.1  Voluntary Contributions for Funds-in-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global  

1.  Since 1987, the Government of Japan has been providing voluntary contributions in the field of industrial property (IP) to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The WIPO Funds-in-Trust/Japan (FIT/JP) in the field of IP was established with these voluntary funds. The FIT/JP is used to finance various projects for WIPO members in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), such as holding IP office conferences or symposia, welcoming trainees and IP research students, sending Japan Patent Office (JPO) officials and supporting the automation and modernization of IP offices.

2.  In addition to the above, since the Japanese fiscal year (FY) 2008, the Government of Japan has been providing a new FIT/JP programme for Africa in the amount of CHF 1.6 million annually. This fund will support activities aimed inter alia at strengthening the legal and administrative frameworks for IP protection, automating and modernizing IP infrastructure to ensure high quality service to users, and sharing the experience of Japanese SMEs and experts in business-oriented IP management and human resource development in Africa.

3.  And, since April 2019, Japan has renewed FIT/JP as the global funds, which are used without limiting areas of support. Funds-in-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global (FIT Japan IP Global) for FY2023 amounts to CHF 5.13 million.

1.2  Programmes by the JPO  

1.2.1  Training Programme

4.  In order to support developing countries to implement the TRIPS Agreement, Japan has been conducting training programmes for these countries. Between April 1996 and March 2024, Japan provided training to 7,987 trainees in both public and private sectors from 105 countries and 5 regions, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, and African region. In the future, with the goal of the efficient implementation of laws in mind, Japan is scheduled to proceed with human resource development activities emphasizing the area of enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs).

1.2.1.1  Training programmes for government officials

5.  The JPO has been conducting group training courses regarding IPRs for government officials. In FY2023, 11 group training courses were conducted, and 202 participants in total completed training.

1.2.1.2  Training programmes for private sectors

6.  The JPO has also been conducting group training courses regarding IPRs for trainees from the private sector. In FY2023, 5 group training courses were held, and 95 participants in total completed training.

1.2.2  Short-term Fellowship

7.  In the context of the short-term fellowship programme funded by FIT Japan IP Global, 6 trainees from Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Libya, Morocco, Uzbekistan completed two weeks of practical work experience in IP-related fields.

1.2.3  Seminar on Intellectual Property Rights for Alumni Association Members

8.  The JPO has suggested to its trainees that an alumni association be established to help disseminate information on IP systems in their home countries and to keep the members of the association informed of current IP developments. The JPO has held follow-up seminars in various Asian countries for those who had completed training programmes in Japan, in order to sustain the fruits of the training programmes and contribute to human resources development.

9.  When the JPO receives a request from an alumni association to assist them in holding an IP seminar, the following types of assistance are provided: financial assistance to meet the cost of holding a seminar, and the sending of Japanese speakers to the event.

10.   In FY2023, follow-up seminars were held in Mexico and Lao People's Democratic Republic.

1.2.4  Expert Missions 

11.  Experts and seminar speakers specializing in various areas of IP are sent by the JPO through FIT Japan IP Global and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The experts mainly provide on-site instruction regarding examination practices, computerization and so forth.

12.  The JPO has sent long-term experts under the JICA scheme in order to engage in JICA technical cooperation projects being implemented in the IP office of the respective recipient countries.

13.  In FY2023, 9 experts in total participated in the programmes implemented under the WIPO scheme.

1.2.5  FIT Japan IP Global Programmes

14.  In FY 2023, 18 programmes were implemented with the support of funding from the FIT Japan IP Global.

1.2.6  Provision of the 'Patent Abstracts of Japan (PAJ)' on CD-ROM

15.  There have been difficulties of third parties obtaining patents in other countries for the inventions for which applications have already been filed in Japan. To relieve difficulties and improve the quality of examinations in developing countries, the JPO has been publishing the CD-ROM version of Patent Abstracts of Japan (PAJ). PAJ contains English translations of bibliographic data and patent abstracts as well as representative drawings published in the Kokai Tokkyo Koho, which means publications of patent applications. Since April 1995, the JPO has been providing PAJ on CD-ROM free of charge to foreign organizations/institutions, including major IP offices and international organizations. As of August 2024, approximately 50 organizations/institutions receive them on a regular basis.

1.2.7  Project to Publish (in English and Japanese) the Industrial Property Laws and Regulations in Effect in Various Countries

16.  The JPO translated laws and regulations which were related to industrial property rights in foreign countries into English and Japanese and provided these translations through the JPO's website. At present, translations of the laws and regulations of about 100 countries and intergovernmental organizations can be browsed on its website.

- Japanese: https://www.jpo.go.jp/system/laws/gaikoku/mokuji.html

- English: https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/system/laws/gaikoku/index.html

1.3  JICA Projects

1.3.1  Technical Cooperation Projects  

17.  In the field of intellectual property, JICA implemented technical cooperation projects contributing to better enforcement of IPRs in Indonesia. JICA completed a technical cooperation project contributing to improving the examination capacity in Viet Nam (FY2020-2022). JICA  dispatches patent experts to Indonesia (FY2023-2024) and Viet Nam (FY2024-2027) to improve the quality of patent examination and the capacity of patent examiners.

1.3.2   Group Training Courses 

18.  JICA also implemented group training courses on intellectual property. In cooperation with the WIPO and Kyoto Comparative Law Centre (KCLC; Non-Profit Research Organization), JICA implemented two-month training on the legal system of IPRs and the Enforcement of IPRs for officials from enforcement-related government agencies from around the world (FY2000-2012). Furthermore, in cooperation with KCLC, JICA implemented one-month training on Improving Intellectual Property System for Economic Development in Japan (FY2015-2019).

2  TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF COPYRIGHT 

19.  The Japan Copyright Office (JCO), Agency for Cultural Affairs, has been planning and carrying out the following programmes with a view to contributing to the development of copyright systems in developing countries as well as to strengthening regional cooperation among Asia-Pacific countries.

20.  The APACE (Asia-Pacific Copyright Systems Enhancement) Programme was started in 1993 with establishing the WIPO Funds in Trust/Japan (FIT/JP) in the field of copyright, targeting Asia-Pacific countries. In 2023, several programmes were implemented. In June 26 and 27, Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting was held for the purpose of sharing information and experience of updating national copyright strategies and policies as well as exploring possible new area of cooperation among Asia‑Pacific countries. In June 28-30, the Coaching Program for Professionals and Managers of SMEs in the Music Sector was held. 

3  TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION

3.1  Cooperation through the UPOV 

21.  In the form of a Funds-in-Trust to the UPOV, the Government of Japan has supported programmes on plant variety protection (PVP) systems in line with UPOV.

22.  To facilitate establishment and implementation of UPOV PVP systems for countries in the Asian region, various activities were implemented such as national and international seminars for the purpose of raising awareness of PVP systems, assistance to draft PVP laws in accordance with the UPOV Convention, and development and promotion of UPOV e-PVP .

3.2  JICA Group Training Course 

23.  JICA training courses started in 2000 in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and NCSS (National Centre for Seeds and Seedlings, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization) to contribute to the enhancement of PVP systems and quality control of seeds and seedlings. In 2024, a Group Training Course was conducted in Japan and Viet Nam. It included participants from Algeria, Cambodia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mauritania, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Thailand and Viet Nam.

3.3  Cooperation through the East Asia Plant Variety Protection Forum 

24.  To facilitate establishment and international harmonization of PVP systems in East Asian countries, the East Asia Plant Variety Protection Forum (EAPVPF) was formed under Japan's initiative in 2007 with participation of ASEAN countries, China, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

25.  The 11th EAPVP Forum Annual Meeting held in Muntinlupa, Philippines on 1 August 2018 adopted the Ten-Year Strategic Plan of the EAPVP Forum (2018-2027), including the Common Direction aimed at establishing effective PVP systems consistent with the UPOV Convention among Forum members. This Ten-Year Strategic Plan was revised at the 12th Annual Meeting that was held in Beijing, China on 24 April 2019. The revised Ten-Year Strategic Plan is available on the following website: http://eapvp.org/about/.

26.  Various cooperation activities proposed by EAPVPF members in line with the Ten-Year Strategic Plan have been adopted at the annual meeting every year, and these activities have been implemented at the local state or with virtual means.   The details of the activities can be referred to the following website: http://www.eapvp.org/report.

4  TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF BORDER MEASURES 

27.  The Ministry of Finance of the Government of Japan have provided scholarship programmes, training courses, and expert missions on the TRIPS Agreement in the field of border measures for the enforcement of IPRs, in collaboration with WCO, JICA and other organizations. The main purpose of these programmes is to assist customs officers in developing countries in the smooth implementation of the TRIPS Agreement, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region. In FY2023, the scholarship programme with ten participants and the training course were held in Japan. Furthermore, Japanese experts joined three workshops in FY2023 to enhance customs officers' knowledge and skills in the field of IPRs border enforcement.