Structural Characteristics and Evolution of the Dual Network of Patent Technology Collaboration and Innovation in China–Japan–ROK

In the context of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, inter-regional international cooperation is facing fierce competition and sustainable development pressure in domestic, geopolitical, and global industrial chains and that a rational division of labor and coordination of cooperative innovation subjects, key technology nodes, and technology subgroups are of great importance to improve and upgrade the industrial and supply chain cooperation of China–Japan–ROK, as well as to enhance the efficiency of cooperation and innovation. This study uses the patented technical cooperation and innovation dual network structure analysis model and social network analysis (SNA) to analyze the dual network relationship and evolution characteristics of patent technology cooperation and innovation at different stages, based on data from 5912 invention patents applied by China, Japan, and ROK. We find that the China–Japan–ROK patent technology collaboration network is unmatched in size, and the areas of cooperation are expanding on a daily basis. However, the network’s innovation activities have not yet stabilized, and there is still room for collaborative innovation among enterprises to grow and evolve. Multinational corporations in Japan and South Korea have occupied the network’s core position at various times, forming seven key innovation groups with high-tech enterprises such as Samsung Display, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, NEC, and LEKIN as core nodes. Patents such as H01L, G02F, H04N, H01M, and G02B dominate the key technology nodes and technology subgroups, indicating that high-tech patents such as electronic information technology, semiconductors, displays, and automobile manufacturing are the primary areas of cooperation and innovation between China, Japan, and South Korea.