According to Japan's Mainichi Daily News, Matsuomo said at a meeting
between the two ministers in Beijing that China's recent drive to
increase its rail exports had "drawn a great deal of attention" in
Japan, although Yang argues China acquired the technologies "through
its own innovations."
 
A report in the China Daily last week suggests Chinese manufacturers
are filing patent applications for high-speed rail products in various
countries including the United States, Brazil, Russia, and Japan.
 
JR Central chairman Mr Yoshiomi Yamada has recently called on the
Japanese government to take action if there is a violation of Japanese
intellectual property rights.

China's high-speed fleet shares some parentage with Japanese Shinkansen
trains. One of the first production high-speed train types to enter
service in China, the CRH1A, was introduced in 2007 and is a
development of JR East's E2 series Shinkansen, supplied by a consortium
of Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo, and Tokyu Car
Corporation. A fleet of 60 trains was built by a consortium of Kawasaki
and CSR but the partnership was short-lived and CSR went on to build to
further CRH2 variants independently, later developing the
record-breaking CRH380A.

China has invested substantially in rail research in recent years with
the aim of driving up technical standards domestically and preparing
for a greater role in international markets. Japan is also seeking to
increase exports of its high-speed rail technology.