The EU-Japan Centre in Tokyo is regularly publishing "Industry and Policy News" from various Japanese language sources of potential interest, including newly released policy documents, surveys, and official statements, in the context of EU-Japan industrial cooperation and is pleased to announce the May 2020 issue.The topics are as follows:

 LEGISLATION AND POLICY NEWS

・Japanese government lifted emergency declaration

・Japanese government formulates the second supplementary budget as

   an emergency economic measure

・METI demonstrates trial to charge plastic bag

・COVID-19 has triggered discussions about changes from April to September enrollment

・Japan Patent Office (JPO) obtained its own patent for the first time

SURVEY AND BUSIINESS DATA

・Real GDP from January to March decreased 3.4% at annual rate

・Both export and import dropped sharply in April

・Vehicle sales in April fell 13.4%

・Bankruptcy by the spread of COVID-19, 166 cases as of May 19

・Japanese telework has not progressed

COMPANY NEWS

・World's first international hydrogen transport was realized

・7 companies established ‘e5 Consortium’ to realize Zero Emission EV vessels

・Joint Agreement Reached for GHG Zero-Emission Ship

・NEC developed a terminal that can identify an individual even with a masked face

・SONY released world's first Intelligent vision sensors with AI processing functionality

ADDITIONAL TOPICS

・Mt. Fuji, all climbing routes are prohibited by COVID-19

・Opening intellectual property free against COVID-19

・Four automobile associations expressed messages on COVID-19

・NEDO developed a search engine specialized for COVID-19 case reports

・AIST and NIMS research team developed a new sensor to food loss reduction