According to Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" report on February 3, based on the "Economic Security Promotion Law" enacted in May last year, the Japanese government formulated a draft of basic guidelines related to "patent non-disclosure". From the perspective of security and guarantee, examples of objects that are stipulated not to be disclosed include hypersonic flight technology (more than 5 times the speed of sound), the latest space and network technologies. This guideline will be adopted at the cabinet meeting in April this year. The relevant provisions of the bill will come into force by May 2024.
According to reports, in principle, a patent is published one and a half years after the application, but the bill stipulates that if the newly established review agency grants "designated preservation", the patent will not be published.
According to the report, in the draft guidelines, the latest technologies that "may have a significant impact on security" are listed as "designated preservation objects", and "hypersonic weapon propulsion technology" and "the latest technologies such as space and networks" are listed. In addition, "technology that may become a means of causing great damage to people's lives and economic activities" is also listed as an object, and the example cited is "nuclear technology that can be diverted to weapons of mass destruction."
In order not to impede civilian technological innovation, military-civilian dual-use technologies are listed as "designated preservation objects" only for the purpose of defense and development commissioned by the state.
