Greetings for the New Year 2023

Happy New Year!
On the occasion of the new year 2023, I would like to extend my best wishes.
I hope you all are having a glorious New Year.
　This will be my fourth New Year's greeting since assuming the JIPA presidency in 2019.
2022 was a year of many events in the daily life with Corona. I would like to look back at them in order.
　Firstly, it is corona-related: the new coronavirus that raged in the country from the beginning of 2020 was replaced by a coronavirus variant (Omicron strain) with a relatively low risk of serious illness, with repeated expansion/contraction of infections. The new coronavirus will continue to mutate, and there is concern that it may spread on an even larger scale before convergence, but at present, with the progress of the fourth round of vaccination, even those affected have mild to moderate symptoms and often recover without being hospitalized. Various deregulations have been implemented to prevent the spread of infection and to balance this with economic activities, and people have begun to live with coronaviruses. In October last year, waterfront measures at entry were eased, and with a valid vaccination or testing certificate, it is no longer necessary to wait in quarantine after entry to the country. However, the next peak of the eighth wave of infection is said to arrive in January this year (as of writing in November). There is concern that medical care will be tight during the year-end and New Year period, when the flow of people is expected to increase, so we should not relax, and each of us should take infection control measures such as wearing masks on a regular basis, encouraging hand washing, and avoiding three close proximity.
　Next, the global situation: in 2022, economic activity was expected to resume and the global economy to recover significantly from the Corona pandemic. However, geopolitical risks such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year and US-China confrontation over the Taiwan issue and other issues arose, such as supply and demand disruptions for semiconductors and components, as well as inflation due to the monetary policies of various countries. As a result, the global economic growth rate is expected to slow down from 6.1% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and further to 2.7% in 2023 (IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2022), with the global economy, which was on a recovery path, once again stagnating and the global situation becoming increasingly uncertain.
　The Japanese economy has also been hit by the double punch of the Corona disaster and the weak yen. In the six months since last summer, the exchange rate has swung from around 115 yen to the US dollar to the 140 yen level, the first time the yen has weakened and strengthened against the dollar in 32 years. The Bank of Japan's intervention in September last year to buy the yen and sell the dollar for the first time in 24 years is still fresh in the memory.
　Due to rising international raw material prices and the weakening of the yen, Japanese prices for energy, food and other commodities, which were dependent on foreign markets, have risen significantly. This is so-called 'bad inflation', where rising prices precede rising wages. Under these circumstances, in October last year, the Kishida Cabinet announced its second comprehensive economic stimulus package since coming to power. The four pillars of the measures are (1) tackling price hikes and wage increases, (2) taking advantage of the weak yen to restore and strengthen regional 'earning power', (3) accelerating 'new capitalism', and (4) ensuring the safety and security of the people. In order to strengthen the industrial competitiveness of our Japanese companies, we should take advantage of the benefits arising from the weak yen and make bold investments in the fields of 'science and technology and innovation', 'start-ups', 'GX' and 'DX' in order to accelerate 'new capitalism', thereby strengthening Japan's industrial competitiveness and inducing continuous wage increases, which will lead to 'good inflation".
The year 2023 is likely to see major developments on the IP front. We have heard that the system of non-public filings incorporated in the Law on the Promotion of Economic Security is currently being designed, including which sensitive technology fields will be covered. In addition, as we enter the era of the IoT, in which all things are connected to the internet, the question of whether domestic patent law can be applied to the "working act" of cross-border network service-related inventions that use cloud servers, and the issue of "extraterritorial application" has come under close scrutiny. JIPA will keep a close watch on these trends in the IP system and will issue opinions as necessary.
　The 22nd JIPA IP Symposium is scheduled to be held in person at the Tokyo International Forum on 28 February for the first time in three years, although it will depend on the expansion of the Corona pandemic. In light of the revised CGC (Corporate Governance Code) and the changing business environment with DX, 'Digital Transforming Business Linking with management - drawing up a story and promoting investment and utilization of intangible assets' is the symposium theme. If it is possible for Mr Daren Tang, Director General of WIPO, to come to Japan, he will attend the symposium and give a speech. As this is the first face-to-face meeting of JIPA member companies in many years, we hope that the event will provide an opportunity to deepen mutual friendship among members through panel discussions and poster presentations. We look forward to your participation.
　In 2023, under the JIPA slogan - Creating IP Vision for the World - we will continue to promote the two pillars of JIPA's activities: research on IP systems and policies and proposals to the government, and human resource development through training. We look forward to your continued support and cooperation with JIPA.
　As a final note, I would like to start the year by wishing you all a leap forward in 2023, just like this year’s Chinese zodiac sign, the rabbit, while coexisting peacefully with the prolonged Corona pandemic.