JapanGov Weekly

[Ministry of Foreign Affairs] [Wednesday, Nov 26, 2014]

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has released the Annual Report on Japan’s ODA Evaluation 2014 (Japanese and English versions) on Wednesday, November 26.

2. This report outlines the ODA evaluation trends of Japan and the international community, and provides an overview of the ODA evaluations conducted by MOFA, other ODA related ministries and agencies, and JICA in FY 2013. This is the 32nd publication since its first publication in 1982.

3. The objectives of this report are to fulfill accountability to the public and to promote public understanding of ODA by showing a clear overall picture of ODA evaluation and by presenting the roles and achievements of the ODA evaluation as well as the follow-up efforts on response measures to the recommendations of the previous fiscal year. This report will be distributed to experts, NGOs, universities, libraries, and other related organizations, and will also be published on the ODA homepage of MOFA. (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/evaluation/annual_report_2014/index.html)

Individual evaluation reports conducted by MOFA are also available on the ODA homepage of MOFA. (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/evaluation/year/index.html#2014)

[Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry] [Thursday, Nov 27, 2014]

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) will start the provision of its Trademark Registration Gazettes, which include information on registered trademarks in Japan to the Global Brand Database, the world’s largest database maintained by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Reflecting Japan’s Trademark Registration Gazettes in the database will allow Japan’s users to bulk search not only Japan’s gazettes but also those of other countries. This approach will contribute to the more effective utilization of the database for users formulating their global brand strategies.

1. Outline
The JPO agreed with the WIPO to provide its Trademark Registration Gazettes to the Global Brand Database, a service that the WIPO started in February 2013 to provide users with trademark information from 16 countries worldwide.

2. Details of the agreement
According to the agreement, in January 2015, the JPO will start to provide the database with approximately 1.7 million registered trademark gazettes that have been issued in Japan since 2000. In addition, from time to time, the JPO will provide the database with its future trademark gazettes to be registered. This approach will allow users who intend to develop their brands globally to bulk search free of charge both in the global trademark gazettes and in those published by Japan.

The database also allows users to access images of trademarks with similar features if they input image files of the figures they search to the database. This function is expected to increase the user-friendliness for Japan in using of the database service, thereby facilitating such users’ effective utilization of the database in formulating their global brands’ strategies.
Reference: Details of the Global Brand Database

* Outline of the service
The database is one of the information services that the WIPO provides free of charge, in which users are able to search filed trademark applications and registered trademarks as well as refer to details of the information on such trademarks by the batch.
Initially, the database service, started in March 2011, provided information on international registration of trademarks, appellations of origins under the Lisbon Agreement, national crests under Article 6 (3) of the Paris Convention, and other trademarks. Moreover, in February 2013, the WIPO started the storage of international information on trademark applications and trademarks registered and filed worldwide. Currently, users are able to search and refer to trademark information provided by trademark offices from 16 countries. As of November 20, 2014, the database stores approximately 14 million pieces of data.
In May 2014, the WIPO released a new image retrieval function of the database, by which users are able to search images of trademarks with similar features by inputting image files of the figures they search to the database.

* Sixteen participating trademark offices:
The U.S., Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, the Philippines, Denmark, Israel, Morocco, Egypt, Cambodia, Estonia, UAE, Oman, and Algeria


Division in charge
Patent Information Planning Office, General Coordination Division, Policy Planning and Coordination Department, JPO

Source: Global Brand Database website: http://www.wipo.int/branddb/en/

[Japan National Tourism Organization] [Tuesday, Nov 25, 2014]

The Japan Monthly Web Magazine, published by Japan National Tourism Organization, is easy to read on your smartphone or tablet. It brings you the hottest news every month.