The Japanese government has embarked on formulating a national strategy for creating "international standards" for product specifications and standards.
Having good product quality and performance is not enough to survive global competition. The key is whether a country can take the initiative in setting world-class standards and values.
In particular, Japan is focusing on evaluation indexes for advanced technology such as quantum and nuclear fusion, as well as environmental measures.
Quantum technology is indispensable for communications, calculations and cryptographic processing in the future. If nuclear fusion power generation is brought to reality, it will be possible to balance decarbonization and secure energy supplies.
Both technologies are expected to grow as new industries. Each country is vying to formulate rules in favor of itself.
The size of paper and dry-cell batteries is set by relevant organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This allows consumers to get products of the same standard anywhere in the world.
If products are adopted as representing unified standards, it will lead to improving the industrial competitiveness of their developers.
Meanwhile, if developers are falling behind, they will have to spend extra money to conform to the product specifics of other companies. This could also become a barrier in exporting their products.
This is why each country is scrambling to gain the initiative over the standards for e-vehicle chargers.
In recent years, worldwide issues such as energy, global warming and biodiversity are becoming increasingly serious.
Consequently, authentication of product compatibility with environmental standards is becoming increasingly important. Such certifications also affect product evaluations by institutional investors and other market players, prompting companies with overseas operations in particular to be pressed to take necessary action.
Between 2021 and 2023, China, the United States and European countries one after the other mapped out their national strategies on the issue. China has set a goal of having at least 85% of international standards conform to its own by 2025.
The Japanese government needs to attempt to turn the tables.
Compared to European countries, the number of employees at Japanese organizations involved in developing standards and certifying products, as well as the scale of their operations, are significantly smaller. The government, companies and industrial groups should strive to foster talent with expertise and high negotiation skills.
Promoting the spread of excellent technologies and environmental measures will contribute to improving civil life. If frameworks originating in Japan become prevalent across the world, it will help strengthen the country's power as well. It is high time to step up efforts through public-private sector collaboration.