Patent Experts Discussed Examination Practices in Fields including Pharmaceuticals and Quality Management at the Sixth ASEAN-Japan Patent Experts Meeting

March 11, 2026

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the intellectual property (IP) offices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states held the Sixth ASEAN-Japan Patent Experts Meeting in Singapore on March 10, 2026. This was the first time the event was held in person. During the meeting, discussions continued from the previous year on patent examination practices in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields, as well as on quality management in patent examination.

A final report regarding patent examination practices in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields was presented as part of a research project conducted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in cooperation with the JPO and ASEAN member states. The examination standards of the IP offices of ASEAN member states, were also reported on, along with the judgments of each office in hypothetical cases.

The JPO’s quality management officer explained Japan’s procedures for checking the quality of patent examinations, which prompted many questions from participants. Additionally, IP offices of the ASEAN member states shared their checking items, and the current status of their quality management practices, leading to lively discussions and deeper mutual understanding.

The JPO will continue to cooperate with and support the ASEAN member states in the fields of patent examination operations and quality management to further enhance the patent systems in their countries.

The Sixth ASEAN-Japan Patent Experts Meeting

[Last updated 11 March 2026]