Please note that the embargo will lift as follows:
Wednesday, October 5, 2020, 01:00GMTOctober 5, 2020

THE "COVID-19 DATA PORTAL JAPAN" IS LAUNCHED:Quick access to the research data of the new coronavirus infection(COVID-19) is now available
The "COVID-19 Data Portal JAPAN (link: https://covid19dataportal.jp/)" has been launchedthrough collaboration between the Research Center for Open Science and Data Platform (RCOS, Center
Director: YAMAJI Kazutsuna, Professor, NII Digital Content and Media Sciences Research Division) ofthe National Institute of Informatics (NII, Director General: KITSUREGAWA Masaru, Tokyo, Japan) andthe Bioinformation and DDBJ Center (Head of DDBJ Center: ARITA Masanori, Professor, NIG BiologicalNetworks Laboratory) of the National Institute of Genetics (NIG, Director General: HANAOKA Fumio,Shizuoka, JAPAN), both belonging to the Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS,President: FUJII Ryoichi, Tokyo, Japan). Upon development, we examined and collected open data on
the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) scattered within and outside Japan, and made them available
on the portal site to provide researchers quick access to required data. The portal site allows you to gather
not only life science research data such as genetic sequence data, protein data and disease data, butalso resources including images, literature and data-submission tools across disciplines. We hope forresearchers to use this platform to discover research data and make the new data created as a result
openly available, and that it will lead to a breakthrough in the fight against corona epidemic.
We started developing this portal site in support of the framework of "COVID-19 Data Portal(link: https://covid19dataportal.org/)", which had already been released in Europe. Other countries arealso beginning to integrate the research results of COVID-19 produced within the country and publish
them on their own portals. This portal site was launched with the cooperation of manyorganisations throughout Japan. We will continue to reinforce its content so that it serves as an
infrastructure for promoting the COVID-19 research in Japan and facilitating data-sharing acrossinstitutions and fields.

Research Organization of Information and Systems(ROIS)
National Institute of Informatics (NII)
National Institute of Genetics (NIG)

COVID-19 Data Portal JAPANhttps://covid19dataportal.jp/
Due to be released at 10 am on
Monday, October 5, 2020
The portal site lists the collected
research data and tools related
to COVID-19 by field. You canaccess to resources promptly byreferring to the description ofeach resource.

Comment from YAMAJI Kazutsuna, Center Director of Research Center for Open Science andData Platform, the National Institute of Informatics (NII):"We developed this site in collaboration with the DDBJ Center of the National Institute ofGenetics, which aggregates public genetic data from around the world, by particularly
focusing on enhancing the content. During the process, we realized that the COVID-19related research results are not made public in Japan as proactively as in other countries.
I hope that our efforts will help to encourage further data dissemination from Japan. We
will continue to cooperate with relevant national and international organizations andprovide services that contribute to COVID-19 research and knowledge discovery."Comment from ARITA Masanori, Head of Bioinformation and DDBJ Center, the National
Institute of Genetics (NIG):"Research output on COVID-19 is reported to be smaller in Japan. The possible cause isthat responsibility lies with each prefecture and the disclosure of the RNA sequences andother virus information becomes a reluctant issue. This is more so when reputationattacks and damages are concerned. Through this portal and sister websites, I wish
people know more about the world situation and realize that free distribution of theinformation is indeed beneficial."

Research Organization of Information and Systems(ROIS)
National Institute of Informatics (NII)
National Institute of Genetics (NIG)

<Media Contact>
Research Organization of Information and Systems
National Institute of Informatics
Publicity Team

Research Organization of Information and Systems
National Institute of Genetics
Office for Research Development

Research Organization of Information and Systems(ROIS)
National Institute of Informatics (NII)
National Institute of Genetics (NIG)