Japan to Withhold Security-Related Patent Information from 2022 Onward... "Considering China"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Japan has decided to strengthen regulations from 2022 to prevent patent information related to national security technologies from being transferred to China and other countries.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 12th, the Japanese government plans to implement a system as early as 2022 that prohibits the disclosure of patent application information for advanced technologies that can be used in the development of next-generation weapons. The National Security Secretariat (NSS) Economic Division is creating the system by referencing regulations from various countries, with the core being to keep patent application details for security-related technologies confidential and to punish unauthorized disclosures.

If applicants suffer disadvantages due to the confidentiality measures, the government is also considering compensating them. The advanced technologies subject to confidentiality will be designated through a review process involving the Patent Office, the National Security Secretariat, the Ministry of Defense, and other relevant agencies. Technologies expected to be subject to confidentiality include uranium enrichment technology, next-generation weapon manufacturing technologies such as "rail guns," and technologies related to biological and chemical weapons.

The Japanese government plans to submit amendments to the Patent Act containing these provisions to the regular Diet session next year.

Currently, all patent application details are disclosed 18 months after the filing date regardless of whether the patent is granted. From the time of disclosure, the information can be accessed free of charge online. Yomiuri reported that the Japanese government prepared this measure in awareness that such information could be exploited by China and others. Additionally, Yomiuri explained that the new system, called "confidential patents," is already implemented in the Group of Seven (G7) countries excluding Japan, as well as in China and Russia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.