Science and Technology Policy Japan

“Urgency” and “inclusiveness” were two keywords at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Katowice, Poland, from Dec. 2 to 15.

The National Police Agency on Thursday unveiled a draft bill that would allow vehicles with a high level of autonomous features to run on public roads, with an eye toward implementing the legislation in the first half of 2020.

Japan will promote the free flow of personal data with the U.S. and the European Union by creating common rules on privacy protection, Nikkei has learned.

Information technology giants like Google and Facebook should face greater antitrust oversight in Japan to prevent them from abusing their dominant market positions to stifle competition and infringe on consumer privacy, according to a government report compiled Wednesday .

The government plans to possess the capability to jam hostile communication satellites in outer space, a new policy stipulated in a draft outline of the next National Defense Program Guidelines set to be approved by the Cabinet as early as Tuesday next week.

Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada expressed on Wednesday Japan’s readiness to continue efforts to become a global role model that realizes a virtuous circle for the environment and economic growth.

The Japanese government will keep a closer eye on foreign companies that work with big data, aiming to promote healthy competition and ensure that consumers and small businesses are not harmed by excessive concentration of information.

The government said Tuesday it will offer free rubella vaccinations for three years to men who were unvaccinated in their childhood amid an outbreak of the disease that threatens to dampen demand for travel to Japan.

Three months have passed since a strong earthquake hit Hokkaido in early September. In disaster-affected areas, an increasing number of people are using large numbers of trees felled by landslides.

The Japanese government has decided to relax the conditions for cutting solar power subsidies for projects that have not started operations following opposition from power producers and other firms.