So, I would start talking about the Japanese IP reform that the Koizumi Administration is currently working on. Here is what I think is important or interesting about the IP reform.
As I wrote before, the Koizumi Administration has started this reform in February 2002, and is aiming to accomplish major changes by 2005. When you look at the Basic Law on Intellectual Property (passed in December 2002, enacted in March 2003) and the Strategic Program for the Creation, Protection and Exploitation of Intellectual Property (decided by the Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters in July 2003), you will find that this proposal is a very ambitious one. You will sense that the reform puts more energy on patent systems than copyright. This is because one of the main figures of this proposal is Mr. Hisamitsu Arai, who is a former commissioner of the Japanese Patent Office and now is the secretary-general of the IP strategy office under the Cabinet.
