The Japan Patent Office (JPO) released an annual report 2024 on the recent situation of Japanese intellectual property trends. We have picked up some of the topics related to patents only which we think are of interest to our overseas clients.
- Patent applications filed in Japan;
- PCT Japanese national phase entries; and
- Examination speed in Japan.
1) Trends in numbers of Japanese patent applications
The number of Japanese patent applications filed with the JPO fell once in 2020, then gradually increased for four consecutive years, and exceeded 300,000 again in 2023.
In 2023, 300,133 patent applications were filed in Japan in total, and among that, 224,446 were domestic patent applications and 75,687 were Japanese national phase applications based on PCT international applications.
2) Trends in numbers of PCT national phase applications
The number of Japanese national phase applications based on PCT international applications (such applications are mostly filed by overseas applicants) had been steadily increasing since 2016, but slightly decreased in 2023.
3) Examination Speed
The JPO continues to make great efforts to speed up patent examination procedures, and in 2024, they achieved the following average pendency times from the filing of requests for examination, which are even shorter than in 2023:
- 10.0 months to First Action; and
- 14.7 months to Final Action.
We believe that the examination speed at the JPO is still the fastest among the IP5.
We will keep you informed of any developments regarding the patent and trademark situations in Japan. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
More To Explore
Trends in Japanese patent applications – JPO Annual Report 2024
The Japan Patent Office (
Non-disclosure of Patent Applications in Japan
Overview: On or after May
