Opening Address |
by H.E. Shinji Sato
Minister of International Trade and Industry |
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I would like to declare to open the WIPO Asian Regional Forum on Intellectual Property Rights in the 21st Century.
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It is my pleasure to organize this Forum in cooperation with the International Bureau of WIPO with a wide and high level participation of representatives from Asia and the Pacific Region.
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The Asian region has made a remarkable economic growth and deemed a center of the global economic development. In order for this region to continue its economic growth, each country in the region is expected to promote domestic science and technology through encouraging inventive activities in various fields of technology. An intellectual property protection system is a fundamental infrastructure to strengthen the industry.
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In light of this perspective, the Government of Japan launched a Program for Economic Structure Reform. The Program contains a national strategy for the development of the intellectual property system with a view to promoting research and development and creating new fields of industry in cooperation with the business and academic sectors.
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Each country is also expected to implement fully the TRIPS Agreement to cope with the globalization of economy. Different countries have their own history and their knowledge of the intellectual property system. However, it would be mutually beneficial if we could gather those knowledge and wisdom to cooperate with each other for the implementation of the Agreement.
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This Forum is the first epoch making event in the sense that senior officials of intellectual property authorities in this region got together to address important issues on intellectual property rights in the new century.
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Since the Government of Japan started a voluntary contribution called Japan Funds Trust in 1987, various activities have been carried out by the Japanese Patent Office in cooperation with the International Bureau of WIPO for development cooperation in the Asia and Pacific region. We are determined to continue our activities for the purpose of human resources development, automation of administration and cooperation of search and examination.
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I would like to conclude my opening address by wishing that this forum will provide an opportunity for all the participants to deepen mutual understanding and create an Asian patent community in which all countries will strengthen the regional cooperation and coordinate views and opinions on major policy issues for the next Century.
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Thank you very much for your attention.
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