Japanese media said that the LIBERAL Democratic Party will provide support for the realization of international standardization of Japanese technology in the medical and digital fields, seeking to seize the high ground of "international standards". The LDP will explore training and subsidies in technology areas such as 5G, a new communications standard, and telemedicine. The LDP will press for measures to support the economy on the grounds of economic security and boosting exports.

The LDP is exploring providing support for 5G and 6G related technologies, including undersea fiber optic cables, the Nikkei business Daily reported on Aug. 11. Drones using artificial intelligence (AI) technology will also be supported.

The report said the LDP also envisages support for services that make effective use of the detailed positioning information of the quasi-zenitic satellite system. If international standardization can be promoted in areas such as unmanned driving and disaster information, it will be less difficult to promote overseas.

In the field of health care, in addition to telemedicine technology, Japan was ready to promote the standardization of medical equipment. As the coVID-19 epidemic increases the importance of infectious disease response, Japan's sewers and cleaning tanks, which are used to improve sanitation, are also expected to be targeted for support.

Japan will submit applications to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), among others. Entities such as enterprises will follow the steps of setting standards, applying and being subject to review. This requires a high level of expertise and can be a financial burden.

It was reported that a recommendation drawn up in July by the LDP's Special Committee on Integrated Infrastructure Strategic Investigation (chaired by Toshihiro Nikai) pointed to the coVID-19 outbreak as an opportunity to increase demand for digital and medical technologies.

The LDP wants the government to include the costs in its 2021 budget. The government will also adjust in this direction.

Japan will put in place a national support mechanism. In its 2020 version of the infrastructure export strategy, the government said public-private cooperation was essential to reverse Japan's sluggish progress on international standardization.

Competition over international standards is intensifying, with China emerging stronger than Europe and the US, the report said. China has been accelerating the development of related industries, focusing on promoting the standardization of next-generation information technology such as 5G, high-performance medical equipment and electronic equipment, and expanding exports.

According to Japan's Industry Standards Survey, China has submitted 16 separate founding committee proposals to the ISO since 2014, and China and other countries have submitted two founding committee proposals, accounting for about a quarter of the total proposals. The committee is a platform for setting standards in all areas. Japan has submitted only two proposals.

In April, Japan submitted an international standard for "smart cities" combining these cutting-edge technologies to ISO and IEC. It is now under review and will have results by the end of the year.

In terms of the number of required patent applications for 5G standards, about 3,000 are related to Japan, while China has about 7,200, according to the survey by the Japan Institute of Network Innovation. Among them, The number of necessary patent applications for Huawei's 5G standard was 3,100, ranking first in the world.

Based on the US-led move, the Japanese government and the LIBERAL Democratic Party (LDP) believe this is a good time to claw back international standardization, the report said. The LDP's new international order creation strategy headquarters will accelerate discussion of international standardization in areas such as Numbers.