By Kwan Weng Kin
SINGAPORE'S reputation for protecting intellectual property has assured Japanese companies in game software and know- ledge-intensive industries that their products will be safe from digital thieves.
Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said yesterday that many Japanese business executives whom he met during his three-day stay here had praised Singapore's enforcement of intellectual property rights.
'The type of activities which Japanese companies are bringing to Singapore are knowledge- intensive. They have a high R&D content and Japanese companies are extremely concerned to see that their products will not be pirated, copied or their intellectual property stolen,' Dr Tan told Singapore reporters.
'They know that any intellectual property they bring to Singapore or develop in Singapore will be safe, and that is a very strong selling point for Singapore.'
That, said Dr Tan, is only one in a long list of things which Japanese companies find appealing about Singapore - including superb infrastructure and high connectivity - when looking for a place for their investments or to set up regional headquarters.
'They also feel safe in Singapore. They know that their factories, their petrochemical works are secure. This is very important in this age where we are all worried about global terrorism. Security today has become in fact a comparative advantage for Singapore,' he said.
Dr Tan said it was important for Singapore that Japanese companies now consider many factors when choosing a place for their business activities.
'One company president told me that what he really needs is software engineers, for which there is a worldwide shortage, and that is his No. 1 priority, not cost,' he said.
Dr Tan, who was last in Japan in 2001, said he felt a 'new positive mood' this time among the business leaders, company executives and venture capitalists whom he spoke with.
During his stay here, Dr Tan also toured the mammoth showroom of electronics giant Matsushita Electric - which has a huge presence in Singapore.
He left here yesterday morning for Seoul to attend a seminar organised by the World Economic Forum.
Source: The Straits Times
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