The world first Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program started in 2006 between the JPO and the USPTO. Now, PPH program is effective among 48 countries and the number of PPH request was about 32,000 in 2018.
As of April 1, 2019, the PPH program is effective between the JPO and 42 patent offices. The cumulative numbers of PPH requests are: 11,094 (from US); 4,888 (from EP); 1,116 (from Korea); and 638 (from China).
The PPH program between Japan and India has not yet started, but we believe it starts soon in 2019.
The following table shows the current status of the PPH program between Japan and other countries.
△: Since the patent office is not an ISA or IPEA, PPH is eligible only if the prior application is filed in Japan.
*Data cited from Annual Report 2019 released by the Japan Patent Office: https://www.jpo.go.jp/resources/report/nenji/2019/index.html