The government has not yet officially submitted his candidacy, but an official told Managing IP that it will nominate Takagi later today. WIPO member states have until 5pm on February 13 to nominate other candidates for the position.
Takagi studied at the Kyoto University in Japan and entered the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) as a patent examiner in 1979. In 1986 he began his career at WIPO working in the industrial property law division and developing cooperation between countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
He was a Japanese delegate in the TRIPs Agreement negotiations from 1988 to 1991 and then worked as first secretary at the permanent mission of Japan in Geneva until 1994.
In the same year Takagi rejoined WIPO as director of the Industrial Property Information Division. He is now executive director, Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Development and Worldwide Academy.
The JPO statement draws attention to Takagi's 15 years of experience at WIPO and says he would be able "to contribute to transforming WIPO into a proactive and dynamic leader of intellectual property".
The WIPO Coordination Committee will meet in an extraordinary session on May 13 and 14, to nominate a person for appointment by the General Assembly as WIPO Director General.
Four candidates have so far been nominated for the post: Enrique Manalo from the Philippines, James Otieno-Odek from Kenya, José Graça-Aranha from Brazil; and, most recently, José Delmer Urbizo Panting from Honduras.
WIPO has now posted all the applications already received on its website.
