Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� March, 2003

First Meeting of the Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters Wednesday, March 19, 2003 The first meeting of the Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. In light of the coming into effect of the Basic Law on Intellectual Property on March 1, this Headquarters, replacing the former Strategic Council on Intellectual Property, was established with the goal of advancing measures for the creation, protection and exploitation of intellectual property in a focused and planned manner. At this first meeting of the Headquarters, a report was given on the progress of the Intellectual Property Policy Outline and a decision was made to compile, by sometime around July 2003, the Intellectual Property Promotion Plan comprising the measures that should be implemented by the Government in a focused and planned manner with a view to the creation, protection and exploitation of intellectual property. Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stated, "In my General Policy Speech I promised to strive to establish Japan as a nation that is built on the platform of intellectual property. With the goal of ensuring the economic revitalization of our nation, the Intellectual Property Promotion Plan will lead the world, and will not be restricted to conventional systems. I will promote intensive reform over a period of three years."