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On May 27, 2020, the Prime Minister held a meeting of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants held a discussion on the Intellectual Property Strategic Program 2020.

Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“Thank you all for attending this meeting today despite your busy schedules. On May 25, thanks to the efforts of citizens, we at last lifted the declaration of the state of emergency nationwide.

Moving forward, we must create a new normal for everyday life with your cooperation and that of the public, towards the next stage. Against this background, today, we decided on the Intellectual Property Strategic Program 2020.

The spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has accelerated the trend of going remote or online around the world, and is changing people’s behavior. New business models that harness digital technologies and the Internet are also beginning to emerge, as evidenced by, for example, the dramatic growth in the revenues of video streaming services.

At a time when the quest for a new normal for everyday life in the age of the coronavirus is progressing, the importance of intellectual property is increasing, especially for digital technologies. We need to swiftly establish a new intellectual property strategy that is attuned to such changes in the times.

Through this pandemic, the world has praised the strong public health awareness of Japanese people as well as their lifestyles. With the growing understanding towards the need to avoid the three Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings), the fulfilling lives in rural areas are also drawing attention.

With these points in mind, we need to restructure the Cool Japan strategy and develop ideas to tie it in with regional revitalization in the age of the coronavirus.

Furthermore, we will actively promote the overseas expansion of digital content originating from Japan. From the perspective of promoting the distribution and use of content, we must urgently update various systems, including the copyright system.

I ask the relevant ministers to implement swiftly the policies included in the Intellectual Property Strategic Program 2020 approved today, taking these factors into consideration.”