Power of Attorney and Documents for Japanese Trademark, Patent and Design Filings (Foreign Applicants, 2026)

"Do we need to sign and courier a power of attorney before you can file our Japanese trademark?" "What documents do you need for a Japanese patent or design application?" "How should our company name and address appear on the Japanese application?"

Overseas applicants often expect heavy paperwork before filing in Japan. In practice, Japan is one of the easier jurisdictions: in most cases you can file without sending any signed document. In this article, Japanese Patent Attorney Toru Kano of BrandAgent explains when a power of attorney is needed, what the Japan Patent Office (JPO) says about seals and signatures, how your name and address are written, and which documents are needed for trademarks, patents and designs.

*Information as of November 2026. See also the JPO's Q&A on representatives (in Japanese).

What you will learn

Why foreign applicants need a Japanese patent attorney
Why no power of attorney is usually needed at filing — and when it is needed later
What the JPO says about seals, signatures and copies
How your name and address appear, including the original-language notation
Documents for trademark, patent and design filings, and priority document deadlines

Foreign applicants file through a Japanese patent attorney

A person or company with no domicile or business office in Japan generally cannot file directly with the JPO. Japanese law requires them to act through a representative domiciled in Japan — in the Patent Act, a "patent administrator" — and the same applies to trademarks, designs and utility models. In practice, this representative is a licensed Japanese patent attorney (Benrishi).

If your group has a Japanese subsidiary but the overseas parent company is the applicant, the parent is still treated as a foreign applicant. Decide early which entity should own the Japanese rights, because it affects licensing and enforcement later.

No power of attorney is usually needed at filing

When a Japanese patent attorney files a trademark, patent or design application on your behalf, a power of attorney generally does not have to be submitted together with the application. This means we can file as soon as we have the content of the application, without waiting for documents to arrive from abroad — a real advantage when you need to secure an early filing date.

When a power of attorney is needed later

A document proving the attorney's authority (a power of attorney) is needed for certain later procedures, for example:

Withdrawal or abandonment of an application and similar acts with serious consequences for the applicant.
Appointing or changing the attorney — for example when you move a pending case from another firm to us.
Changes of applicant and transfers: usually powers of attorney from both the assignor and the assignee.
Some post-registration requests and trials, for example where a new attorney takes over the case.

Under the Patent Act, an attorney acting for a person domiciled in Japan needs special authority for acts such as converting, abandoning or withdrawing an application, claiming or withdrawing priority, and appointing a sub-agent. A foreign applicant's patent administrator in principle has full authority, but the JPO may ask for proof of authority where the scope of the authority is not clear. In practice, expect to provide a power of attorney for these procedures.

Seals, signatures and copies: what the JPO says

According to the JPO's Q&A on representatives, no seal is required on a document proving authority, and where the principal is a foreign national (including a Japanese national living abroad), the principal's signature is not required either.

In addition, since 26 September 2022 the JPO accepts a copy of a power of attorney, as long as there is no doubt that it is a copy of a power agreed between the principal and the attorney. Copies of general (comprehensive) powers of attorney are also accepted. So there is normally no need to courier an original to Japan.

BrandAgent's practice

We prepare the power of attorney ourselves, with your company name and the name of your representative typed in. No handwritten signature and no company chop are needed. You simply check the content and tell us it can be filed. This saves the days or weeks usually spent collecting signatures from headquarters.

How your name and address appear on the application

On a Japanese application, a foreign applicant's address is written in Japanese, in the order of administrative divisions (country, state/province, city and so on), with the original pronunciation shown in katakana. The name is also written in Japanese (katakana and/or kanji).

In addition, the JPO's trademark application form provides that where a foreign applicant's address or name can be written in Roman letters, fields for the original-language address and original-language name should be added right after the address and name fields, and the original should be given wherever possible. For a Chinese company, this is usually the official English name and English address matching the business licence.

The original-language notation makes it much easier to show that the Japanese right belongs to your company — useful for enforcement and for brand programmes on marketplaces. Please send us:

Your official company name in the local language and your official English name
Your registered address in the local language and in English
The name of your legal representative
A copy of your business licence or certificate of incorporation (so we can check spellings)

Documents by type of right

Right	What we need to file	Priority document deadline
Trademark	The mark (word or logo image), goods/services, applicant details	Within 3 months of the Japanese filing date
Patent	Description, claims, drawings, abstract (with Japanese translation if in a foreign language), inventor and applicant details	Within 1 year 4 months of the earliest priority date
Design	Drawings or photographs, article name, creator and applicant details	Within 3 months of the Japanese filing date

A priority document is needed if you claim priority from your first filing abroad (for example in China). If it is not filed in time, the priority claim loses its effect, so check before filing that you can obtain it from your home office.

Trademarks

Trademarks need the least paperwork. For a logo, we use the logo image you actually use. For the goods and services, we ask what you sell and draft wording that works well in Japanese examination.

Our trademark fees are JPY 25,000 per class at filing and JPY 25,000 per class at registration (excluding consumption tax). The prior search is free when you instruct us to file, and consultations and quotes are free.

Patents

If your specification is in a foreign language, a Japanese translation is required — whether you come in under the Paris Convention or enter the national phase from a PCT application. The translation becomes the basis of your Japanese patent, so its quality matters.

Designs

In a design application, the drawings define the scope of protection. Drawings from your home application can often be reused, but they may need to be adjusted to Japanese requirements.

Documents often needed after filing

Deed of assignment: for a change of applicant or a transfer of a registered right.
Japanese translations: any foreign-language document attached to a JPO filing needs a Japanese translation.
Power of attorney: for the later procedures described above.

We communicate in English and Chinese, and you can pay by PayPal (in JPY) or bank transfer. For procedures other than trademark filing, ask us for a free quote.

Tips for a smooth start

Fix the applicant first: headquarters, the Japanese subsidiary, or joint applicants. Changing it later means a change-of-applicant procedure and extra cost.
Send your business licence at the start: it lets us confirm the name and address spellings once, instead of going back and forth.
Decide early on priority: if you claim priority, have the number and date of your first filing ready, and know how you will obtain the priority document.
Skip the signature round: no power of attorney is needed at filing, and no signature is needed later, so there is no internal signing workflow to plan for.

FAQ

Q. Do you need a signed power of attorney before filing?
A. No. A power of attorney is generally not required at filing; it is needed later for procedures such as withdrawal or a change of attorney.
Q. Does our CEO have to sign the power of attorney?
A. The JPO states that no seal is required and that a foreign principal's signature is not required. We prepare the document with your representative's name typed in.
Q. Do we need to send the original by courier?
A. Normally not. Since 26 September 2022, copies are accepted unless there is doubt about them.
Q. Is the English name of our company shown on the Japanese application?
A. For trademark applications, the original-language name and address are to be given wherever they can be written in Roman letters, and we include them as standard.
Q. Who handles our case?
A. BrandAgent has handled more than 4,000 applications, and every case is handled personally by a licensed Japanese patent attorney.

Key points

Foreign applicants without a Japanese address file through a Japanese patent attorney.
A power of attorney is generally not needed at filing, only for certain later procedures.
The JPO requires no seal, and no signature from a foreign principal; copies are accepted.
Trademark applications include your original-language name and address where possible.
Priority documents: 3 months from filing (trademarks, designs); 1 year 4 months from the earliest priority date (patents).

Planning to file in Japan?
Tell us what you want to protect — we will reply with the documents we need, the best route into Japan and a quote, free of charge.

BrandAgent Patent Office (Kyoto, Japan)
Toru Kano, Japanese Patent Attorney

Free consultation — visit BrandAgent's English site