Director General Concludes Official Visit to Japan

During an official visit to Japan from 8-15 February 2025, WIPO Director General Daren Tang met with top government officials, leading private sector figures and other stakeholders, including representatives from academia and the creative industry.

Bilateral Talks

Director General Tang met with Mr. Takeshi Iwaya, Minister for Foreign Affairs. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Japan’s accession to WIPO and Mr. Tang expressed his deep appreciation for Japan’s continued support in strengthening the global innovation ecosystem and reaffirmed WIPO’s commitment to building on five decades of close collaboration.

Mr. Tang also met with Mr. Yoji Muto, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. They spoke about the importance of green technologies and how WIPO GREEN supports global efforts to address climate challenges. Mr. Tang also expressed his appreciation for Japan’s contributions through the Funds-in-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global (FIT Japan IP Global), which has supported more than 100 developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs).

In discussions with Mr. Minoru Kiuchi, Minister of State for Intellectual Property Strategy, Mr. Tang spoke about Japan’s comprehensive intellectual property (IP) strategy and its role in fostering innovation. He highlighted that ‘Cool Japan’ isn’t just soft power but a major economic opportunity, and that innovation extends beyond patents, trademarks, and designs to include copyright, content, data, and software. Mr. Tang also congratulated Japan on Tokyo-Yokohama being ranked as the world’s top science and technology cluster in WIPO’s Global Innovation Index 2024.

Mr. Tang also met with Mr. Atsushi Nonaka, State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Mr. Shunichi Tokura, Commissioner for Cultural Affairs. Mr. Tang highlighted that the theme of World IP Day 2025 is “IP and Music” and emphasized the importance of international cooperation to empower creators to promote creativity, culture, and the arts worldwide. They also discussed the evolving landscape of rights in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and the changes it brings.

In a meeting with Mr. Yota Ono, Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Mr. Tang welcomed the steady progress of the cooperation agreement signed last year between JPO and the WIPO to support startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries through FIT Japan IP Global. Additionally, they agreed to collaborate on the WIPO GREEN Ambassador Program and the event co-hosted by WIPO and JPO at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai.

Meeting with Industry Leaders and Innovators

Mr. Tang met with a delegation from the Japan Intellectual Property Association (JIPA) led by Mr. Kenichi Nagasawa, Vice Chairperson. During a keynote speech at the JIPA IP Symposium, Director General Tang highlighted the importance of strengthening the IP ecosystem and fostering collaboration between large companies and SMEs. He also encouraged Japanese innovators to focus more on global markets, with Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai as a chance to showcase Japanese innovation to the world.

Mr. Tang then met with Mr. Masafumi Yamamoto, the first WIPO Green Ambassador from Japan, and Mr. Ono. They discussed cooperation on future WIPO GREEN activities and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining close and continuous collaboration.

During the United Nations University (UNU) Conversation Series “The Future of Innovation and Creativity in a Transforming World”, Mr. Tang joined UNU Rector Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala for a discussion on recent technological advancements such as AI that changed the nature of innovation and the role of IP in promoting innovation and creativity across the world.

Mr. Tang met with Mr. Yosuke Tojo, Chief Technology Officer of Shiseido Co, Ltd, and they spoke about ways in which WIPO GREEN can further promote environmentally friendly technology transfer, as well as approaches for better collaboration with SMEs.

The meeting with Ms. Rie Yamada, President and CEO of Tohoku Electronic Industrial Limited (TEI), provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by SMEs in Japan. Mr. Tang and Ms. Yamada spoke about the difficulties of business expansion, navigating IP issues, and competing with large corporations in an increasingly competitive market.

Mr. Tang also engaged with three innovative startups that originated from Tohoku University—Phytochem Products Inc., GENODAS Inc., and ElevationSpace Inc. During these discussions, company representatives spoke about the challenges they face, providing valuable insights into the role of IP in overcoming these obstacles and driving business success.

Mr. Tang also had the opportunity to engage with Tohoku Venture Partners (THVP), a leading venture capital firm. The conversation delved into THVP’s innovative funding system designed to support startups, as well as the importance of IP education for startups.

Meeting with Academia

Mr. Tang visited Tohoku University, where he met with Dr. Teiji Tominaga, President, Dr.  Takafumi Aoki, Executive Vice President for Strategic Planning and Provost, Dr. Motoko Kotani, Executive Vice President for International Research Strategy, and Dr. Tsuyoshi Tohyama, Executive Vice President for Industry-University Collaboration. During the meeting, they emphasized the importance of their partnership through WIPO GREEN, and discussed the significance of IP education for students and researchers.

Meeting with Creative Industry

Mr. Tang engaged in a thoughtful discussion with Mr. Kazuki Sawa, President of the Foundation for Cultural Heritage and Art Research, on the importance of IP education for art students and the significance of protecting the creative arts in today's digitally advanced society.

Director General Tang then met with Ms. Sachiko Nakajima, CEO of steAm, Inc. and a jazz pianist and mathematician, to exchange views on steAm education and the role of IP in fostering interdisciplinary creativity, as well as her initiatives for Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai.

Mr. Tang also spoke with Ms. Emi Kusano, a multimedia artist and Web3 creator, about the transformative potential of AI and its impact on artistic expression and the importance of IP awareness for all creators.