Patent protection in Japan

Questions about patents in Japan

How much does a patent cost in Japan?

Our estimate is about US$2,801 to take a PCT application to grant in Japan. That is about US$1,239 in official fees and US$1,562 in attorney fees. By stage: filing US$849, examination request US$1,215, office action response US$358 and grant / issuance / publication US$378 (one office action response included). Renewal fees over the patent's life add an estimated US$13,609. Small entities pay reduced official fees in Japan. These are estimates only, for a standard application (10 claims, 30 pages, a company applicant): the actual cost depends on the law firm and the application. Request a quote from a law firm on this site for an exact price.

What is the PCT national phase deadline for Japan, and which routes are there?

The PCT national phase for Japan must be entered within 30 months of the earliest priority date.

In which technologies is Japan an important patent market?

Japan's 10 largest fields of technology by patent publications are electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (22,776 a year), furniture, games (18,154 a year), computer technology (16,374 a year), medical technology (14,624 a year), measurement (12,353 a year), transport (12,226 a year), optics (10,369 a year), audio-visual technology (9,885 a year), handling (9,282 a year) and semiconductors (9,219 a year). Within its region, it stands out for macromolecular chemistry, polymers (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), materials, metallurgy (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), surface technology, coating (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), handling (#2 in East Asia and Pacific), textile and paper machines (#2 in East Asia and Pacific) and thermal processes and apparatus (#2 in East Asia and Pacific). Publications are growing fastest in it methods for management (15% a year), biotechnology (13% a year) and pharmaceuticals (11% a year). About 72,977 PCT applications enter the national phase in Japan each year.

What does Japan's economy make and export?

Japan's GDP is US$4,435.2bn, of which services US$2,992.9bn, industry US$1,122.0bn (of which manufacturing US$788.5bn) and agriculture US$40.2bn. Spending a year: households US$2,223.6bn and health care US$448.8bn. Japan's exports of goods came to US$730.8bn in 2024. Its 10 largest exports were cars (US$115.3bn, 16% of its exports, #2 in the world), integrated circuits (chips) (US$38.4bn, 5% of its exports, #6 in the world), semiconductor-making machines (US$30.8bn, 4% of its exports, #1 in the world), vehicle parts (US$27.1bn, 4% of its exports, #5 in the world), gold (US$19.7bn, 3% of its exports, #6 in the world), printers and printing machinery (US$12.3bn, 2% of its exports, #2 in the world), bulldozers and excavators (US$11.8bn, 2% of its exports, #2 in the world), trucks (US$9.5bn, 1% of its exports, #7 in the world), hot-rolled steel (US$9.5bn, 1% of its exports, #2 in the world) and ships (US$9.1bn, 1% of its exports, #3 in the world). Where products are made, a patent there can stop infringing copies being made, not only being sold.