New Year Greetings 2026 – KASAI Yasuyuki, JPO Commissioner

I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to you for a happy and prosperous New Year.

Japan's economy is currently experiencing a significant turning point, marked by the highest wage increases in over thirty years, as well as record-high capital investment by private companies. We now stand at a crossroads wherein we are facing the critical challenge of whether we can successfully transition to a growth-oriented economy that fosters increased investment and productivity, while also sustaining current upward trends in investment and wages. The government is committed to strengthening the supply-side economic structure and vigorously promoting a growth strategy in order to achieve a strong economy.
In this context, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) is dedicated to creating an environment that strengthens Japan's ‘earning power’ by protecting and promoting the use of intellectual property (IP). To achieve this, the JPO aims to establish a virtuous cycle in which IP serves as a starting point for generating profits, which are then reinvested to stimulate innovation—ultimately leading to further profits based on IP.

To promote the creation of innovation, we are committed to steadily implementing the world's fastest and highest-quality patent examinations, wherein we maintain an average total pendency of up to 14 months from examination request to the granting of rights. Patent examinations have become increasingly complex in recent years, however, due to factors such as the growing volume of patent documents which require prior art searches, including those in foreign languages; as well as the sophistication and complexity of inventions resulting from the penetration of AI across various fields of technology. It is essential, therefore, to continuously improve our examination system to address these challenges.
To this end, the JPO is actively pursuing the utilization of digital and AI technologies. In promoting the use of AI, we are formulating a “JPO AI Vision” which incorporates our principles of human-centered AI use, security, and accountability.
At the Trilateral Heads of Office Meeting held last October, the JPO proposed a trilateral collaboration to develop a common AI vision that outlines the fundamental principles for using AI in our work. The Trilateral Offices (JPO, USPTO and EPO) have agreed to work together toward the creation of a Trilateral AI Vision, and as we move forward, I hope that the three offices will lead the world in the effective utilization of AI.

In order for enterprises and other IP system users to create value and strengthen their earning power, it is essential for management to strategically acquire and utilize IP rights. To enable users to comprehensively acquire IP that can be utilized in their business, and to engage in their operations with confidence, we have implemented the “Collective Examinations for IP Portfolio Supporting Business Strategy (CEIP).” This provides advice on claim amendments aligned with business content, including multiple patents, designs, and trademarks related to both domestic and international projects. This scheme also ensures that examinations and the granting of rights are coordinated with the timing of business expansion. At the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), coordination between IP policy and standardization policy is being enhanced. Herein, the JPO will continue to refine patent examination procedures, ensuring that amendment and examination progress are carefully considered so that patent claims are appropriate for corresponding standards. We will also continue to share information on the strategic use of IP in business management, wherein we will publish case use examples of advanced user projects, and engage in dialogue with related companies and organizations.
The JPO additionally supports users in obtaining patent rights to facilitate overseas business expansion. As part of our commitment to assist users in obtaining early rights overseas, we have implemented “Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)” with the largest number of participating IP offices worldwide—46 in total. Through this system, applicants whose inventions have been deemed patentable by the Office of First Filing are able to request expedited examination through simplified procedures at the Office of Later Examination.
Notably, the JPO will launch a new type of PPH in January with Thailand, where applications from Japanese companies are numerous. Under this new framework, the JPO, as the Office of Earlier Examination, provides the key examination points to the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce (DIP) of Thailand, thereby further enhancing the speed and quality of examination there. To support users in both domestic and international matters, the JPO has established help desks for overseas expansion at the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT). In addition, we have dispatched IP experts to overseas offices of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and provided support grants to SMEs and universities for filing international applications. We are also committed to strengthening cooperation with other IP offices and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) through ongoing dialogue.
The use of IP is important for SMEs and startups. As such, the JPO supports the IP management of SMEs through the IP Business Management Support Network, which is a collaborative framework including the JPO, INPIT, Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA), Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Small and Medium Enterprise Agency. By working together, these five entities provide one-stop support for both IP and business management.
In response to recent concerns regarding the unfair infringement of IP rights, the JPO launched a working group on fair IP transactions together with the Japan Fair Trade Commission and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency in July of last year. Herein, the JPO examines guiding principles for appropriate IP transactions based on situations on the ground, and will work to disseminate the outcome of this study.
The JPO and INPIT are also advancing initiatives such as IPAS, VC-IPAS, iAca and iNat, which involves dispatching IP experts to startups, venture capital firms, and universities. For example, we dispatched experts to RegCell Co., Ltd., a company founded by Prof. SAKAGUCHI Shimon (last year's Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine), which helped the company develop an IP strategy to implement its T-cell research in society. As startups and universities grow and make breakthroughs, we will continue to offer our hands-on IP support.

As in previous years, the JPO will also continue striving to promote innovation and enhance the earning power of our country through speedy and high-quality examinations.
I appreciate your continued understanding and cooperation in the administration of the JPO, and I wish you all good health and further success in 2026.

KASAI Yasuyuki,
JPO Commissioner

[Last updated 5 January 2026]