The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (経済産業省, Keizai-sangyō-shō) or METI, is a ministry of the Government of Japan. It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic activities, such as the Economic Planning Agency.
METI has jurisdiction over a broad policy area, containing Japan's industrial/trade policies, energy security, control of arms exports, "Cool Japan", etc. METI is known for its liberal atmosphere and officials of METI have been well known for their excellence. It is commonly called "human resource agency" for its leaders of politics, business and academia.
METI is organized into the following bureaus, offices, departments and 3 agencies (Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, Japan Patent Office)
Economic and Industrial Policy BureauEconomic and Industrial Policy DivisionMacro Economic Affairs DivisionIndustrial Structure Policy DivisionIndustrial Organization DivisionIndustrial Revitalization DivisionIndustrial Finance DivisionCorporate Affairs DivisionResearch and Statistics DepartmentRegional Economic and Industrial Policy DivisionBusiness Environment Promotion DivisionIndustrial Facilities DivisionRegional Technology DivisionTrade Policy BureauMultilateral Trade System DepartmentTrade Policy DivisionResearch and Analysis DivisionEconomic Partnership DivisionAmericas DivisionEurope, Middle East, and Africa DivisionAsia and Pacific DivisionNortheast Asia DivisionTrade and Economic Cooperation BureauTrade Control DepartmentTrade Control Policy DivisionTrade Licensing DivisionSecurity Export Control Policy DivisionSecurity Export Licensing DivisionTrade and Investment Facilitation DivisionTrade Financial and Economic Cooperation DivisionFinancial Cooperation DivisionTechnical Cooperation DivisionTrade Insurance DivisionIndustrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment BureauIndustrial Science and Technology Policy DivisionTechnology Evolution and Research DivisionAcademia-Industry Cooperation Promotion DivisionTechnology Promotion DivisionResearch and Development DivisionTechnical Regulations, Standards, and Conformity Assessment Policy DivisionMeasurement and Intellectual Infrastructure DivisionEnvironmental Policy DivisionRecycling Promotion DivisionManufacturing Industries BureauInfrastructure and Advanced Systems Promotion OfficeCreative Industries Promotion Office("Cool Japan Office")Water Industry and Infrastructure Systems Promotion OfficeMonodzukuri Policy Planning OfficeOffice for Intellectual Property Right Infringement and International TradeIron and Steel DivisionIron and Steel Technology OfficeNonferrous Metals DivisionChemical Management Policy DivisionChemical Safety OfficeChemical Weapon and Drug Materials Control Policy OfficeFluoride Gases Management OfficeChemical Risk Assessment OfficeChemicals DivisionFine Chemicals OfficeAlcohol OfficeBio-Industry DivisionBio-Business Promotion OfficeHousing Industry, Ceramics and Construction Materials DivisionFine Ceramics, Nanotechnologies and Advanced Materials Policy Planning OfficeIndustrial Machinery DivisionRobot Industry OfficeInternational Projects Promotion OfficeMachine Parts and Tooling Industries OfficeAutomobile DivisionElectric Vehicle and Advanced Technology OfficeITS Promotion OfficeAutomobile Recycling Policy OfficeAerospace and Defense Industry DivisionSpace Industry OfficeVehicle DivisionTextile and Clothing DivisionFashion Policy OfficeInternational Textile and Clothing Trade OfficePaper Industry, Consumer and Recreational Goods DivisionConsumer Goods OfficeTraditional Craft Industry OfficeDesign Policy OfficeCommerce and Information Policy BureauInformation Policy DivisionIT Project OfficeInformation and International Policy OfficeOffice for IT Security PolicyInformation and Communication Electronics DivisionDevice Industry Strategy OfficeEnvironmental Affairs and Recycling OfficeDigital Consumer Electronics Strategy OfficeInformation Service Industry DivisionLocal Informatization and Human Resource Development OfficeService Affairs Policy DivisionService Industries OfficeHealthcare Industries DivisionMedical and Assistive Device Industries OfficeCreative Industries DivisionFashion Policy OfficeCool Japan Promotion OfficeDesign Policy OfficeConsumer Goods OfficeTraditional Craft Industry OfficeMedia and Content Industry DivisionAgency for Natural Resources and EnergySmall and Medium Enterprise AgencyJapan Patent OfficeMinister's SecretariatRegional Bureaus & Industrial Safety and Inspection DepartmentIncorporated Administrative AgenciesThe Information-Technology Promotion Agency(情報処理推進機構) is an Independent Administrative Agency that was created in January 2004 in order to better carry out on behalf of METI certain provisions of the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing (Information Processing law, 1970 Law No. 90). The agency was created from a former Incorporated Administrative Agency of the same name (founded 1986) within the ministry. Its primary role is to promote the development and effective use of Japanese made Information Technology at home and abroad, and in addition help ensure IT's positive effect on both society and the national economy. As of the late 2000s, the agency was concentrating on improving the competitiveness of Japanese created software in the global marketplace, though the ongoing development of advanced hardware is also still considered to be of importance. The former includes the nurturing of the next generation of Japanese software developers. As part of this, it for a long time played a major role in setting and enforcing standards in the Japanese IT industry, in particular in the area of software development. In 2010 however, in a (ultimately highly unsuccessful) reorganization carried out by the then ruling party, certain functions of the IPA in this area were controversially privatized. Among other things, the Information Technology Engineers Examination Center which had been previously an important component of the IPA's maintenance of IT standards was disbanded by 2011. Various other important projects & initiatives were scrapped or severely disrupted. The IPA also has a role in helping to co-ordinate national security aspects of IT, though neglect by successive governments meant that until recently this was more apparent than real.
Presently (2015) certain elements and functions of the IPA are still in flux, due both to the aforementioned botched 2010 'reform' along with various attempts since then to try to fix the damage, and recent negative developments in the area of IT security for Japan's government & industries.
