The , METI for short, is a ministry of the

Government of Japan The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive (government), executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary st ...

. It was created by the

2001 Central Government Reform The by the Japanese government involved the establishment of a new ministry, the merging of existing ministries and the abolition of others. This resulted in little more than a change of ministry names (with the exception of the Environment Agen ...

when the

Ministry of International Trade and Industry The was a Ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of Japan from 1949 to 2001. The MITI was one of the most powerful government agencies in Japan and, at the height of its influence, effectively ran much of Japanese industri ...

(MITI) merged with agencies from other ministries related to economic activities, such as the

Economic Planning Agency An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

. METI has jurisdiction over a broad policy area, containing Japan's industrial/trade policies,

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption (as opposed to household energy insecurity). Access to cheaper energy has become essential to the functioning of modern ...

, control of arms exports, "

Cool Japan refers to the aspects of Japanese culture that non-Japanese people perceive as " cool". After the success of " Cool Britannia," the Japanese government started using the phrase. The Cool Japan strategy is part of Japan's overall brand strategy, ...

", etc. The Ministry has its headquarters in

Kasumigaseki Kasumigaseki (霞が関, 霞ヶ関 or 霞ケ関) is a district in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Most government ministries are located in the neighbourhood, making its name a metonym for the Civil service of Japan, Japanese bureaucracy, while Nag ...

Chiyoda Ward , known as Chiyoda City in English,
." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008. is a ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Its current head is Yoji Muto, who was appointed minister by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Shigeru Ishiba in October 2024.

Overview

The mission stipulated in Article 3 of the Act for the Establishment of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Act No. 99 of 1999) is to "enhance the economic vitality of the private sector and develop economic and

industrial development Industrialisation ( UK) or industrialization ( US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive reorganisation of an economy for the ...

centered on the smooth development of foreign economic relations, as well as the stable and efficient development of

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

and

energy resources World energy resources are the estimated maximum capacity for energy production given all available resources on Earth. They can be divided by type into fossil fuel, nuclear fuel and renewable resources. Fossil fuel Remaining reserves of fo ...

." In order to achieve the goal of ensuring supply, it has jurisdiction over

macroeconomic policies Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. This includes regional, national, and global economies. Macroeconomists study topics such as output/ GDP ...

, industrial policies,

trade policies A commercial policy (also referred to as a trade policy or international trade policy) is a government's policy governing international trade. Commercial policy is an all encompassing term that is used to cover topics which involve international ...

, trade control operations,

industrial technology Industrial technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler, and more efficient. The industrial technology field employs creative and technically proficient individuals who can help a company ac ...

policies, distribution policies, and energy policies. Some middle-ranking bureaucrats selected from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are based in the

Japan External Trade Organization is an Independent Administrative Institution established by Japan Export Trade Research Organization as a nonprofit corporation in Osaka in February 1952, reorganized under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in 1958 (later t ...

in foreign countries and are engaged in various research work as industrial investigators. Since many of the industrial policies initiated by METI, such as the nuclear fuel cycle program and the 5th generation computer program and software development program ("Sigma Plan"), have failed, the ministry is not highly regarded or trusted in Japan in the 21st century.

History

The Ministry's predecessor, the

, was in operation from 25 May 1949 to 5 January 2001. However, due to the reorganisation of central government ministries and agencies on 6 January 2001, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry was established by reorganising and renaming the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. In the past, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry was regarded as the driving force behind high economic growth as the "Economic General Staff Headquarters", the general control centre of the

Japanese economy The economy of Japan is a highly developed mixed economy, often referred to as an East Asian model. According to the IMF forecast for 2025, it will be the fifth-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP as well as by purchasing power par ...

or Japan Inc. It made full use of the licences and administrative guidance that it possessed, and was mainly in charge of industrial policy, using allocated loans (FILP) from government-affiliated

financial institution A financial institution, sometimes called a banking institution, is a business entity that provides service as an intermediary for different types of financial monetary transactions. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial ins ...

s, budget allowances, and

subsidies A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acce ...

as sources of power. In addition, it held a wide range of authority in areas such as

science and technology Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

energy policy Energy policies are the government's strategies and decisions regarding the Energy production, production, Energy distribution, distribution, and World energy supply and consumption, consumption of energy within a specific jurisdiction. Energy ...

, and

small and medium enterprise Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organizat ...

policy according to

technological innovation Technological innovation is an extended concept of innovation. While innovation is a rather well-defined concept, it has a broad meaning to many people, and especially numerous understanding in the academic and business world. Innovation refers to ...

. It was also involved in

monetary policy Monetary policy is the policy adopted by the monetary authority of a nation to affect monetary and other financial conditions to accomplish broader objectives like high employment and price stability (normally interpreted as a low and stable rat ...

. However, after Japan's period of high economic growth ended, one-off policy ideas were inevitably created because, despite having a wide range of authority, they were unable to administer licensing and subsidies compared to other ministries and agencies such as "operational government agencies", it became the main one. Ad balloons for various new policies are launched around May and June every year. For this reason, while the Ministry of Finance is still a "general government agency" that is widely involved in decision-making through fiscal policy, budget assessments, and taxation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is an "administrative department store" that has jurisdiction over most industries. It is described as a "limited general government office".

Structure

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 The is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of industrial property right affairs, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The Japan Patent Office is located in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo and is one of the world's largest pa ...

): * Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau ** General Affairs Division ** Research Division ** Industrial Human Resources Division ** Industrial Organization Division ** Regional Economic and Industrial Policy Division ** Regional Industrial Infrastructure Development Division ** Industrial Finance Division ** Corporate Behavior Division ** Industrial Creation Division * Trade Policy Bureau ** General Affairs Division ** Trade Policy Division ** Trade and Finance Division ** Trade Promotion Division ** Economic Partnership Division ** Americas Division ** Europe, Middle East, and Africa Division ** Asia and Pacific Division ** Northeast Asia Division **　International Economic Department *** counselor *** Economic Cooperation Division * Trade and Economic Security Bureau ** General Affairs Division ** Trade Control Department *** Trade Control strategy Division *** Trade Licensing Division *** Security Export Control Policy Division *** Security Export Licensing Division ** Economic and Security Policy Division * Innovation and Environment Bureau ** General Affairs Division ** Innovation Policy Division ** Innovation Creation New Business Promotion Division ** Research and Development Division ** Technical Regulations, Standards, and Conformity Assessment Policy Division ** Measurement and Intellectual Infrastructure Division ** Environmental Policy Division ** Resource Circulation Economy Division ** GX Promotion Division * Manufacturing Industries Bureau ** General Affairs Division ** Metal section ** Minerals Division ** Material Industry Division ** Life products section ** Industrial Machinery Division ** Aircraft Weapons Industry Division ** Automotive Division ** Space Industry Division * Commerce and Information Policy Bureau ** General Affairs Division ** Information Economy Division *** IT Project Office *** Information and International Policy Office ** Cyber Security Division ** Information and Communication Electronics Division *** Device Industry Strategy Office *** Environmental Affairs and Recycling Office *** Digital Consumer Electronics Strategy Office ** Information Service Division ** Battery Industry Division ** Service Affairs Policy Division *** Service Industries Office ** Healthcare Industries Division *** Medical and Assistive Device Industries Office ** Creative Industries Division *** Fashion Policy Office *** Cool Japan Promotion Office *** Design Policy Office *** Consumer Goods Office *** Traditional Craft Industry Office ** Media and Content Industry Division * Agency for Natural Resources and Energy * Small and Medium Enterprise Agency *

* Minister's Secretariat * Regional Bureaus & Industrial Safety and Inspection Department * Incorporated Administrative Agencies

List of ministers

Controversies

In July 2019, restrictions were taken on the export of

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

components without any consultation with

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Footnotes

External links

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
* * (in Japanese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 2001 establishments in Japan Ministries established in 2001 Economy of Japan Economy, Trade and Industry Anti-dumping authorities Trade policy of Japan

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Industry in Japan