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Director General Holds Talks with JapaneseOfficials

Geneva, March 19, 1999
Press Updates UPD/1999/52

The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Dr. Kamil Idris, visited Tokyo on March 15, 1999, where he held intensive and constructive talks with Japanese trade and intellectual property officials.

The Director General described his talks with high-ranking Japanese officials as "serious and useful". Dr. Idris said the visit to Tokyo was a success and marks a new phase of strengthened relations between WIPO and Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO).

The Director General met with Japan’s Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mr. Kaoru Yosano, Vice-Minister for International Affairs at MITI, Mr. Hisamitsu Arai, and JPO Commissioner Mr. Takeshi Isayama.

The Director General and his Japanese interlocutors discussed several key issues of mutual importance. These included the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Madrid Protocol, the WIPO Worldwide Academy, development cooperation activities, information technology, and harmonization of industrial property laws.

MITI Minister Kaoru Yosano expressed the firm support of MITI and the JPO for WIPO’s current and future activities. He also discussed ways the PCT could be improved to be beneficial to applicants from all member states of the treaty, including developing countries. The Minister evoked the benefits the PCT offers to developing countries, a view shared by the Director General.

Talks also touched on the continuing automation process at WIPO with respect to the processing of PCT applications. Automation efforts by the JPO, which uses advanced electronic filing methods, are pertinent to WIPO where priority has been given to upgrading and modernizing the system.

Discussions also touched on relations between WIPO and Japan. Japan is an active participant in the work of WIPO. For the past 12 years, Japan has been contributing funds to WIPO to finance technical cooperation activities in Asia. Last year, the contribution amounted to some 1 million Swiss Francs. WIPO is grateful for this support and looks forward to continued backing from Japan for its technical cooperation activities.

Deputy Director General of WIPO, Mr. Shozo Uemura, who accompanied the Director General, stayed in Tokyo for an additional day to take part in an awards ceremony in which a 10-year old Japanese school-girl received a WIPO Gold Medal. Miss Erika Ohgaki received the award for her invention of a robot-like insect that moves on water. The robot expands its wings by the force of a motor.

The WIPO Prize is awarded to encourage innovation among the young. Miss Ohgaki received the award for having presented the most outstanding project at the All-Japan Exhibition of Schoolchildren’s Inventions which was held under the auspices of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII). WIPO launched its Gold Medal Award program twenty years ago to encourage inventive activity. In that time, 512 inventors from 75 countries, including women and children, have received Gold Medals.

For further information, please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at WIPO:

Tel: (+41 22) 338 8161

Fax: (+41 22) 338 88 10

E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int

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