To register a trademark in Japan, search J-PlatPat for conflicting marks, choose your classes, and file with the Japan Patent Office directly or through the Madrid System. Japan registers marks on a first-to-file basis, so file before packaging, listings and launch spend depend on the name.
A Japanese trademark registration gives the owner the exclusive right to use the mark for the registered goods and services throughout Japan. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) examines each application, and the right takes effect once the registration fee is paid. The JPO explains that another business using an identical or similar mark on identical or similar goods or services infringes the right, and the owner can demand that it stop and claim damages.
A US registration does not carry over. The U.S. Commercial Service says US trademark registrations do not protect rights holders in Japan, and that Japan registers trademarks on a first-to-file basis. The JPO trademark FAQ explains that a mark can be characters, figures, signs, three-dimensional shapes, colors or sounds, and that Japan also registers motion, hologram and position marks.
This guide is planning information, not legal advice. CyberForge Media is not a law firm. Clearance opinions, filing strategy, answers to JPO notices and disputes belong with a licensed Japanese patent attorney or other qualified counsel.
Japan follows a first-to-file rule. The JPO trademark FAQ explains that when two applicants file for identical or similar marks covering identical or similar goods or services, only the earlier applicant can register the mark, and the later application is refused. For a US brand, the main risk is that someone else files the name in Japan first.
The U.S. Commercial Service also warns against letting a partner register your marks for you, because the partner may list itself as the owner and keep the rights if the relationship ends. File in the brand owner's own name, not a distributor's or agent's.
A conflict found late costs far more than the filing fee, because by then the name is printed on inventory, built into Japanese listings and ads, and handed to distributors. In our Japan market entry plans, the trademark search and filing come before packaging, marketplace setup and launch spend.
J-PlatPat is Japan's official database for trademarks, patents, utility models and designs. The JPO's trademark search page lists these tools:
If J-PlatPat opens in Japanese, the JPO says to click the English button in the upper right corner. Search the exact name, spelling variants, spacing, the katakana version you plan to use, similar sounds and your logo. Cover the classes you plan to file and related goods.
A J-PlatPat search does not replace a clearance opinion. The JPO FAQ notes that a mark can still be refused when no earlier mark exists, for example when it does not let buyers tell your goods apart from others. Ask counsel to review any close result before you file.
A direct application goes to the JPO under Japanese procedure. The JPO's step-by-step trademark guide says a company with no office in Japan must appoint a representative who lives in Japan, such as a patent attorney. Overseas applicants also cannot file documents or pay JPO fees directly.
The WIPO Madrid System lets a brand that has already filed or registered a mark at home, called the basic mark, file one international application that names Japan and other member countries. The JPO treats a designation of Japan as a Japanese trademark application and examines it under Japanese law. WIPO also notes that the goods and services list cannot be expanded after the international application is filed.
| Route | Useful when | Planning issue |
|---|---|---|
| Direct JPO application | Japan is the first priority, or the filing needs Japan-specific wording. | Appoint the Japan representative, confirm the Japanese goods descriptions, and budget JPO fees per class. |
| Madrid designation of Japan | The brand has a US basic mark and wants protection in several Madrid countries at once. | The JPO still examines the designation, and a refusal from Japan needs an answer before its deadline. |
Neither route is cheaper or safer for every brand. We compare the mark, owner, classes, country list and response risk with counsel before choosing.
Japan uses the international Nice Classification. Classes 1 to 34 cover goods and classes 35 to 45 cover services, and the JPO publishes the class lists in English and Japanese with similar group codes. JPO fees rise with each class, so the class list sets the budget too.
The class number alone does not set the scope. The goods and services wording inside the application decides what the mark covers. A skincare brand, for example, may need to separate its products from retail services or online content instead of filing for beauty as a broad idea. The JPO FAQ notes that services include retail and wholesale services.
The JPO trademark procedure runs in this order. If the examiner finds a problem, the applicant receives a notice of reasons for refusal and can answer with a written argument or an amendment. The JPO FAQ says the response period can be extended by one month if you ask before it ends.
In Japan, an opposition is filed against a mark that is already registered. The JPO FAQ sets the window at two months from the date the gazette with the registration is published, and the fee schedule lists the opposition fee at ¥3,000 plus ¥8,000 per class.
The JPO fee schedule lists a trademark application at ¥3,400 plus ¥8,600 per class. After approval, the registration fee for the ten-year term is ¥32,900 per class, or ¥17,200 per class for each five-year half if you pay in two installments. These are government fees only. Fees for the Japan representative, searches and responses are separate.
| Direct JPO filing | Application fee | Registration fee, ten years | JPO fees in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| One class | ¥12,000 | ¥32,900 | ¥44,900 |
| Two classes | ¥20,600 | ¥65,800 | ¥86,400 |
| Three classes | ¥29,200 | ¥98,700 | ¥127,900 |
The JPO FAQ notes that paying in installments costs more over ten years than paying at once. On the Madrid route, you pay one set of fees through WIPO, and that set includes an individual fee for Japan. WIPO's filing page links a fee calculator for the estimate.
The JPO Status Report gives average times of 6.8 months from filing to the first examination result and 7.8 months from filing to registration. Those averages leave out some mark types and cases that needed a second round of answers. A refusal notice or an opposition adds time, so we do not set a launch date that depends on the registration.
A Japanese trademark right lasts ten years from the registration date and can be renewed every ten years, according to the JPO trademark FAQ. The Trademark Act lets the owner file for renewal from six months before the right expires. The JPO renewal fee is ¥43,600 per class, or ¥22,800 per class for each five-year installment.
Use the mark in Japan. Under Article 50 of the Trademark Act, if a registered mark goes unused in Japan for three years in a row for the registered goods or services, any person can ask the JPO to cancel the registration for those goods or services. Use by the owner or a licensee counts, so keep records of Japanese sales, listings and ads.
The Trademark Act also lets the owner grant an exclusive or non-exclusive license to use the mark, and the JPO fee schedule lists ¥30,000 to register a trademark transfer. Keep licenses and distributor agreements in writing, with the registration in the brand owner's name.
On Amazon Japan, Brand Registry gives enrolled brands tools to find and report suspected infringement. Court action and other disputes need Japanese counsel.
Overseas applicants file and pay JPO fees through a representative in Japan, so choose counsel early, not when a refusal notice arrives. The representative needs the owner's legal name and address, the final mark, the goods and services list, and a person at the brand who can approve answers on time.
As a Japan market entry agency for US brands, we build the commercial timeline around this work, so packaging, listings, creative and launch dates all use the filed mark. Licensed specialists own the legal judgment and the filing.
Amazon Japan's Brand Registry page lists two requirements. The brand name, or a logo that includes it, must be permanently affixed to the products or packaging. The brand also needs a pending or registered trademark from the designated government trademark office of a country with an Amazon store. That wording covers more than Japan, so Brand Registry enrollment alone does not show that the brand owns rights in Japan.
Match the filed mark, the owner name and the logo on packaging before you enroll. The same mark appears in enhanced product content, storefront creative, ads and distributor materials, so trademark work belongs before the listings are built. Our Amazon Japan launch guide covers the rest of the marketplace sequence.
Bring in Japanese counsel right away if the search finds similar marks, the owner may change, the goods are hard to classify, a refusal notice arrives, or the launch involves a license, a transfer, an opposition or a dispute.
The JPO's official fees are ¥3,400 plus ¥8,600 per class to apply, then ¥32,900 per class to register the mark for ten years. For one class, that is ¥44,900 in government fees. Fees for the Japan representative and any response work are separate.
The JPO is the Japan Patent Office, the Japanese government office that examines trademark applications and registers trademark rights. It also handles patents, utility models and designs.
The JPO Status Report gives average times of 6.8 months from filing to the first examination result and 7.8 months from filing to registration. A refusal notice, an amendment or an opposition adds time.
It depends on the brand's US filings, country list, classes and budget. A direct filing goes to the JPO through a Japan representative. A Madrid filing starts from a US basic mark and designates Japan, and the JPO still examines that designation as a Japanese application.
For a direct JPO filing, yes. The JPO says an applicant with no office or residence in Japan must appoint a representative in Japan, such as a patent attorney, and that overseas applicants cannot file documents or pay JPO fees directly.
Ten years from the registration date. The owner can renew it every ten years and can file for renewal from six months before the right expires. The JPO renewal fee is ¥43,600 per class.
No. CyberForge Media is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We put trademark work into the launch plan and hand the legal work to licensed specialists.
Trademark procedure covers application, examination, refusal notices, registration, opposition and cancellation.
Trademark questions on first-to-file, renewal, installment payments and oppositions.
Trademark search guidance lists the official Japan trademark database searches.
Official fee tables for application, registration, renewal, opposition and transfer fees.
Examination data with the average trademark examination and registration times.
Step-by-step trademark guide on the Japan representative rule and filing documents.
International filing guidance on eligibility, the basic mark, the goods list and fees.
English translation of the act, including renewal, licensing and cancellation for non-use.
Protecting intellectual property in Japan for US companies, including first-to-file and partner risk.
Brand Registry requirements for trademark status, branding on the product and enrollment.
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