{"id":153,"date":"2026-11-01T09:14:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T00:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandagent.jp\/en_blog\/how-to-file-a-patent-in-japan\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T16:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T07:33:58","slug":"how-to-file-a-patent-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandagent.jp\/en_blog\/how-to-file-a-patent-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a Patent in Japan as a Foreign Applicant: Documents, Routes and Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

“What documents do we need to file a patent in Japan?” “Can we use our Chinese or English application?” “How long until the patent is granted?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Overseas companies that want to protect an invention in Japan often ask us these questions. In this article, Japanese Patent Attorney Toru Kano of BrandAgent explains the whole process for foreign applicants \u2014 from the documents and filing routes to examination, grant and maintenance.<\/span><\/p>\n

*Official fees are those listed on the JPO fee schedule as of October 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i>What you will learn<\/p>

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  • Why foreign applicants need a Japanese patent attorney<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Which inventions can be patented in Japan<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The three routes into Japan: direct, Paris priority and PCT<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The five application documents and the Japanese translation<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The process from filing to grant, and the official fees<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

    Foreign applicants must file through a Japanese patent attorney<\/span><\/h2>\n

    An applicant who has no domicile or business office in Japan cannot file a patent application or take later procedures directly with the Japan Patent Office (JPO). Filing, the examination request, responses to Office Actions and fee payments must all be handled by a representative in Japan \u2014 in practice, a licensed Japanese patent attorney (Benrishi<\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your attorney also prepares the Japanese text of the application. Because the Japanese claims define the scope of your patent in Japan, the quality of the translation directly affects how strong your patent will be.<\/span><\/p>\n

    First check: can your invention be patented in Japan?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Under the Japanese Patent Act, only an “invention” that meets all of the following conditions is protected.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/i>What counts as an invention (Patent Act Art. 2)<\/p>

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