"How much does it cost to register a product design in Japan?" "If we want to protect five colour variations, do we pay five times?" "Is it cheaper to designate Japan through the Hague system?"
These are typical questions from manufacturers and online sellers outside Japan who are about to launch a product on the Japanese market. In this article, Japanese Patent Attorney Toru Kano of BrandAgent explains the official cost of a Japanese design registration — the filing fee, the annual registration fees and the total over the full 25-year term — and the points foreign applicants should plan for.
*Official fees are those listed by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) as of November 2026 (last updated: November 2026). Please check the JPO fee table for the latest figures.
What you will learn
- What makes up the total cost of a Japanese design registration
- Official JPO fees: filing fee and annual registration fees
- Cumulative official fees from 1 to 25 years
- Multiple-design applications and the secret design option
- Paris priority, the Hague route, and what drives attorney costs
What makes up the cost of a Japanese design registration
In Japan, a product's appearance — its shape, pattern and colour — is protected by a design right (ishō-ken). Compared with a patent, a design is relatively inexpensive to obtain, and it is easy to enforce against copies because infringement is judged by looking at the products. For overseas brands selling on Amazon Japan, Rakuten or through Japanese distributors, a design registration is often the most practical tool against look-alike products.
The total cost has three parts:
- Official JPO fees: the filing fee and the annual registration fees. These are fixed by law and are the same for every applicant.
- Drawings and translation: preparing drawings that meet Japanese requirements, and translating the article name and description into Japanese.
- Attorney fees: for filing, handling any refusal, and paying the registration fee.
Drawings, translation and attorney work vary with the product and the number of designs, so they are quoted case by case. This article focuses on the official fees.
Foreign applicants must file through a Japanese patent attorney
An applicant with no domicile or business office in Japan cannot file a design application directly with the JPO, and cannot respond to a refusal on its own. A representative in Japan — in practice a licensed Japanese patent attorney (Benrishi) — is required. This also applies when Japan is designated through the Hague system and the JPO issues a refusal: the response must be filed through a Japanese patent attorney.
Official JPO fees for a design
Official design fees (JPO, current)
- Filing fee: JPY 16,000 per design
- Annual registration fee, years 1–3: JPY 8,500 per year
- Annual registration fee, years 4–25: JPY 16,900 per year
- Secret design request (optional): JPY 5,100
Unlike a patent, a Japanese design application does not need a separate request for examination. Substantive examination (novelty, creativity and so on) starts automatically, so there is no examination fee. The first action from the examiner often arrives around 6–12 months after filing.
When the examiner decides to grant registration, the registration fee must be paid within 30 days of receiving the decision. At that point only the first year must be paid, but you can pay several years at once. After that, each year is paid in advance to keep the right alive.
Cumulative official fees: from 1 year to the full 25-year term
For applications filed on or after April 1, 2020, a Japanese design right lasts up to 25 years from the filing date. The table below shows the cumulative official fees for one design (filing fee plus annual fees), excluding attorney fees, drawings and translation.
| Years kept | Filing fee | Annual fees (total) | Total (JPY) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 16,000 | 8,500 | 24,500 |
| 3 years | 16,000 | 25,500 | 41,500 |
| 5 years | 16,000 | 59,300 | 75,300 |
| 10 years | 16,000 | 143,800 | 159,800 |
| 15 years | 16,000 | 228,300 | 244,300 |
| 20 years | 16,000 | 312,800 | 328,800 |
| 25 years (full term) | 16,000 | 397,300 | 413,300 |
*Annual fees: JPY 8,500 × 3 years + JPY 16,900 × each further year. The 25-year term is counted from the filing date, so the time spent in examination is part of the term. In practice the number of annual fees actually paid is lower than 25.
The minimum official outlay to obtain a registration is therefore JPY 24,500 (filing fee plus the first year). Many products have a market life of only a few years, so a common approach is to pay the first few years and then decide each year whether the design is still worth keeping.
Protecting several designs: the multiple-design application
Since April 2021, Japan allows a multiple-design application: up to 100 designs can be filed in one application. This is convenient for a product line, colour variations or a set of related items, because the paperwork is combined into one filing.
However, the official fees do not get cheaper. The filing fee is JPY 16,000 per design, and each design is examined and registered separately, with its own annual fees. For example, three designs filed together cost JPY 48,000 in filing fees, and each of the three registrations needs its own annual fees. The advantage is administrative convenience, and the fact that you can keep or drop each design independently later.
| Number of designs | Filing fees | Filing + years 1–3 (JPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16,000 | 41,500 |
| 3 | 48,000 | 124,500 |
| 5 | 80,000 | 207,500 |
*Official fees only, assuming all designs are registered and years 1–3 are paid.
Secret design: keeping the design unpublished
Normally a registered design is published in the Design Gazette shortly after registration. If your product launch is still months away, the publication itself could reveal your plans to competitors. A secret design request (official fee JPY 5,100) keeps the design confidential for up to 3 years from registration.
This is useful when you file early to secure the date but do not want the design to become public before launch. Note that enforcing a secret design involves extra requirements, such as giving a warning with proof of the registered content, so it should be used only where confidentiality really matters.
Routes into Japan: direct filing with Paris priority, or the Hague system
- Direct filing (Paris Convention): if you first filed the design in your home country (for example China), you can file in Japan within 6 months and claim priority. Note that this is 6 months for designs, not 12 months as for patents.
- Hague system: Japan has been a member since May 13, 2015, so it can be designated in an international design application filed with WIPO. Japan's individual designation fee is paid to WIPO in Swiss francs with the international application (renewals carry a separate Japan fee). Because the amounts change, please check WIPO's Hague fee calculator. Japan's refusal period is 12 months.
The Hague route is efficient when you want protection in many countries at once. On the other hand, Japan examines designs substantively and has its own drawing practice, so drawings prepared for another office sometimes cause refusals in Japan. If a refusal is issued, you will need a Japanese patent attorney anyway. For a product where Japan is a key market, a direct filing prepared to Japanese standards from the start is often the safer choice.
Watch out for your own disclosure
A design must be new. If you have already shown the product online, at a trade fair or on a crowdfunding site, Japan's novelty grace period may still help: you can file within 1 year of the disclosure, claim the exception at filing, and submit proof within 30 days of filing. Missing these steps can make the design unregistrable, so tell us about any disclosure before filing.
What drives attorney costs (and how to keep them down)
Attorney fees vary by case, so we do not list a fixed price here. The main factors are:
- Number of designs: each design needs its own drawings and is examined separately.
- Condition of your drawings: if you already have clean views or 3D CAD images, less preparation is needed. If drawings must be created from photos or samples, the work increases.
- Choice of protection: a partial design (protecting only a distinctive part) or a related design (protecting variations) requires extra planning.
- Translation: the article name and the description must be in Japanese.
- Refusals: a response to a notice of reasons for refusal needs no official fee, but it does require attorney work.
Practical tips
- Send good source material: 3D CAD data or clear photos from all sides reduce drawing work and the risk of refusals for unclear drawings.
- Prioritise: protect the designs that sell, or that are most likely to be copied, rather than every variation.
- Pay annual fees flexibly: pay only the first years at registration and review each design's value later.
- File before you disclose: relying on the grace period adds paperwork and risk.
Payment and communication for overseas clients
BrandAgent works mainly with clients in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and other countries. We communicate in English and Chinese, and invoices can be paid by bank transfer or by PayPal in Japanese yen. With more than 4,000 applications handled, every case is handled personally by the licensed patent attorney, from filing to registration.
FAQ
- Q. What is the minimum official cost to register one design in Japan?
A. JPY 24,500: the filing fee of JPY 16,000 plus the first-year registration fee of JPY 8,500. Attorney fees, drawings and translation are extra. - Q. Do we need to pay an examination fee?
A. No. Japanese design applications are examined automatically after filing, without a separate examination request. - Q. Is a multiple-design application cheaper?
A. Not in official fees: the filing fee is JPY 16,000 per design and each registration has its own annual fees. It is mainly a convenience for filing up to 100 designs at once. - Q. How long does a Japanese design right last?
A. Up to 25 years from the filing date (for applications filed on or after April 1, 2020), provided the annual fees are paid. - Q. Can you give us a quote before we decide?
A. Yes. Attorney fees vary by case, so send us your images and the number of designs and we will reply with a free quote.
Key points
- Official fees: JPY 16,000 per design to file; JPY 8,500/year (years 1–3) and JPY 16,900/year (years 4–25).
- Minimum official cost to registration: JPY 24,500; full 25-year total: JPY 413,300 per design.
- No examination request or fee is needed; examination starts automatically.
- Multiple-design applications (up to 100 designs) save paperwork, not official fees.
- Foreign applicants need a Japanese patent attorney; Paris priority for designs is 6 months.
Related articles
- How to File a Design Application in Japan: Process, Drawings and Timeline for Foreign Applicants
- Partial Designs and Related Designs in Japan: How to Protect Key Features and Variations
- Designating Japan via the Hague System vs Filing Directly: A Guide for Foreign Design Applicants
- Japan Utility Model Cost and Procedure (2026): Official JPO Fees, Timeline and Filing Tips
Planning to register your design in Japan?
Send us images of your product and tell us how many designs you want to protect — we will reply with the best route into Japan and a quote, free of charge.
BrandAgent Patent Office (Kyoto, Japan)
Toru Kano, Japanese Patent Attorney