Science linkages in technologies patented in Japan

We constructed an original database concerning science linkages based on text of Japanese Patent Gazette published since 1994. We discovered that Japanese inventers cite many academic papers in the texts of the patent applications in the Japanese Patent System. Based on this finding, we constructed science citation index by data mining the texts of Japanese patent system for the first time. First, more than 880,000 patent data classified into about 600 categories. Then, we extracted non-patent references from all the granted patents and counted the number of them. This number shows the strength of the linkage between science and technology and therefore is called "science linkage index." The science linkage indexes among different patent classifications differ significantly from each other. The technologies related to bio -technology were by far the closest to science. It suggests that the process of creating new technology differs from technology to technology.

Indicators for Identifying Important Patents (Japanese)

Research on innovation provides fundamental insights for productive discourse on science and technology policy. However, there has been little analysis conducted in Japan on the innovation indicators using patent statistics. The indicators typically used to date such as research and development investment amount and the simple count of number of patents. Apparently, there is a need for more sophisticated indicators. This paper focuses on the importance of patents as a first step to construct more informative innovation indicator. We used Technology Trend Surveys published by the Japan Patent Office which select important patents using expert opinion, then considered possible indicators to identify important patents. The findings show that the number of citations received is effective as an indicator of the importance of patents, and that the number of inventors and the number of patents cited are also effective indicators. In the life sciences, however, the findings demonstrate that while the number of research papers cited (science linkage) in important patents tends to be high, a high science linkage does not necessarily serve as an indicator for identifying important patents.

Verification of the smile curve of food industry in Japan – a consideration using the B to B rate and operating income margin

The goal of this study is to verify the correlation between the industrial organisation and the profitability of the food industry in Japan. Our analysis shows the profitability of each upstream, midstream, and downstream industry using the concept of the smile curve. A quantitative analysis was performed using the B-to-B rate and operating income margins of 32 industrial classifications. The results indicate that the profitability of midstream industries is lower than that of downstream food industries