Text size
S
M
L

Home> About JPO> History of Industrial Property Rights> The 18th of April is Invention Day

Main content starts here.

The 18th of April is Invention Day

What is "Invention Day" ?

On April 18, 1885 (year 18 of the Meiji Era), Korekiyo Takahashi, the first Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office, promulgated Patent Monopoly Act (the predecessor of the current Patent Law) and the patent system in Japan started.

Commemorating this, on January 28, 1954 (year 29 of the Showa Era), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) stipulated April 18 as Invention Day to raise public awareness of industrial property rights system including patent system.

The introduction of patent system stimulated creativity and imagination of many inventors and numerous inventions were created, resulting in our comfortable and convenient lives. Celebrating the occasion of the one hundred years anniversary of the industrial property rights system, on April 18, 1985 (year 60 of the Showa Era), the Japan Patent Office selected ten great inventors in history and introduced their achievements to the public ("Ten Japanese Great Inventors".)

The Japanese industrial property rights system has developed in line with the changing times. From past to present and into the future, the system must evolve to support industrial development.

Taking the opportunity of Invention Day, how about thinking of industrial property rights system which opens new avenues for the future?

A poster for "Invention Day" in 2025.

(Image) A poster for “Invention Day” in 2025.

The poster for "Invention Day" of the year 2025 has been released.

The theme of the poster in 2025 is "The answer to the problem is invention" The poster depicts a polar bear that has invented a "cooling parasol" amidst the effects of climate change, where animals are weakened by heat. It expresses that inventions arise from recognition of problems and can lead to solutions for global challenges.

We hope that this poster will inspire you to think about the importance of the IP system.

The poster is available for download.

Please feel free to use it.

A YouTube video is available here.

Image - Invention Day in 2025

[Last updated 14 April 2025]