Can others challenge my Japanese patent after grant?

Yes. Anyone can file an opposition within 6 months of the gazette that publishes the patent. The office fee is ¥16,500 plus ¥2,400 per claim. An invalidation trial is also possible later.

What if I miss the 30-month PCT deadline for Japan?

Japan can reinstate the entry if the delay was unintentional. You must ask within 2 months of being able to act, and no later than 12 months after the deadline, with a reinstatement fee.

What does the examination request cost at the JPO?

The office fee is ¥138,000 plus ¥4,000 per claim for applications filed since April 2019. It is lower for PCT cases already searched by the JPO or another office. Fewer claims cost less.

Does Japan have a grace period?

Yes, for 1 year since the 2018 revision. Claim it at filing and file proof within 30 days.

Can a Japanese patent application be turned into a utility model?

Yes. It can be converted within 3 months (4 months for overseas residents) of a refusal decision, and at the latest within 9 years and 6 months of filing.

Can an overseas applicant pay JPO fees directly?

In principle, no. The JPO does not accept payments made directly by overseas residents, so fees are paid through a representative in Japan.

Can I file initially in English?

Yes. The JPO accepts foreign-language filings, but a Japanese translation must be submitted within 16 months of the filing date or priority date, whichever is earlier. For PCT national phase entry, the translation is due 30 months from priority, with up to 2 more months in some cases.

How does Japanese Accelerated Examination work?

JPO offers Accelerated Examination free of charge for applicants meeting criteria (SME, university, foreign-corresponding application, working applicant). A normal first action comes about 9 months after the examination request (9.1 months on average in 2024). Accelerated examination brings it down to a few months.

What is the Japanese 'foreign filing license' requirement?

Since 1 May 2024, Japan has a non-disclosure system for sensitive inventions. An unpublished invention made in Japan that falls in a specified technology field must, in principle, be filed first in Japan before any foreign or PCT filing. Inventions clearly outside those fields can be filed abroad first. When in doubt, the JPO offers a prior confirmation procedure.

Are software and AI patents granted in Japan?

Yes. Japan has historically been one of the most software-friendly jurisdictions. Computer programs and AI-related inventions are explicitly recognized as patentable subject matter when they exhibit information processing using hardware resources.

What is a 'Trial for Invalidation' (Mukoshinpan)?

A post-grant administrative procedure before the JPO Trial and Appeal Board where third parties can challenge a granted patent. Faster and cheaper than litigation; often used as a defensive tool.

Patent filing · JPO

Protect your invention in Japan.

File in English to secure your date. The Japanese translation can follow within 16 months of priority.

Start My Patent

Questions first? Ask our attorney.

Search and strategy first. Drafting and filing quoted in writing before any work.

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Before you start

How are you filing?

Directly at the JPOA Japanese application, filed in Japanese or in English first.Start My Patent
Through the PCTOne international application first, then Japan at 30 months.See PCT Filing
Also filing in KoreaKorea allows 31 months for PCT entry, one more than Japan.See Korean Filing

What it costs

One engagement, two clear stages.

You start with a search and a filing strategy, then a flat drafting-and-filing fee, so you decide with the search in hand, never a surprise. Government fees are passed through at cost.

Step One

Strategy & Search

$600

Patentability search + a written opinion on how to file.

JPO patentability search and clearance assessment
Strategy: direct JP filing vs PCT national phase, Accelerated Examination eligibility
Translation cost forecast and Benrishi (Japanese Patent Attorney) coordination plan
Engagement letter & roadmap (Step Two only if you proceed)

Step Two

Drafting & Filing

From $4,800

Drafting and filing your Japan application.

Full specification & claims drafted to JPO standards (initially in English)
Coordinated filing through Japanese Patent Attorney (Benrishi)
Japanese translation by JPO-experienced patent translators
Filing of Request for Examination (within 3-year window)

Japanese translation ($0.18–$0.25/word) and JPO official fees are pass-through at cost.

Start My Patent

Japan Patent Office government fees, translations, and any complexity surcharges are quoted separately and passed through at cost.

Know the rules

How patent filing works in Japan.

Average wait for a first action after the exam request (2024): 9.1 months
To request accelerated examination, if you qualify: Free
Grace period for your own disclosure, claimed at filing: 1 year
Exam request office fee, plus ¥4,000 per claim: ¥138,000

1

File the application

In Japanese, or in English with a Japanese translation later.
2

Request examination

Within 3 years of filing. Without it, the application is withdrawn.
3

Answer any refusal notice

3 months if you live outside Japan, 60 days if you live in Japan.
4

Pay and register

Fees for years 1 to 3 within 30 days of the grant decision.

Key dates

30 days

Proof for a grace period claim
12 months

Last day to claim priority
16 months

Japanese translation of an English filing
30 months

PCT national phase entry
3 years

Request examination
6 months after grant published

Opposition window closes

Your deadlines

Your situation

Filing date of your Japanese application

An estimate. If you claimed priority, the translation counts from the earlier priority date. We confirm your dates before any filing.

Pick a date to see your own deadlines.

What you need

Owner and inventor details
Priority application details, if any
A Japanese translation, if you file in English
A representative in Japan, if you live abroad

Common mistake

Filing abroad first from Japan

Since May 2024, some inventions made in Japan must be filed in Japan first.

Common mistake

Claiming the grace period late

Claim it when you file, with proof within 30 days.

Official sources (8)

The team on your file

A dedicated team, with you at every step.

We manage your application end to end. A registered patent attorney drafts and files it with the JPO, and your account team tracks every deadline.

Your Account Manager

Your day-to-day contact. Knows your file, so every conversation starts where the last one ended.
Your Senior Account Manager

Senior oversight on strategy and anything that escalates, so nothing important slips.

Our team

Attorneys and legal specialists supporting your matter.

Managed end to end by GTC

Meet our team

In their words

All your legal, in one place.

One accountable team for every service, operating since 2016.

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Years since 2016

Japanese patent questions

What inventors ask before filing in Japan.

In 2024 the first action came 9.1 months after the examination request, on average. Accelerated examination is free to request if you qualify, for example when the invention is also filed abroad, and is much faster.