The JPO API for trademark search
JPO records are not on Signa yet. WIPO Madrid designations covering Japan are searchable today. Join the waitlist to hear when JPO ships on Signa.
What is JPO?
The Japan Patent Office (特許庁, Tokkyochō) is the national IP office responsible for examining and registering trademarks in Japan, operating under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Headquartered in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, the JPO administers the Trademark Act of Japan and receives roughly 180,000 direct national trademark applications each year, making it one of the largest IP offices in Asia by filing volume.
The JPO operates J-PlatPat (Japan Platform for Patent Information) — widely considered the most comprehensive free IP search platform in Asia. J-PlatPat exposes the full trademark register with a powerful web UI and a public REST API, and the office's separate IP Data Catalog publishes bulk standardized data feeds for daily and historical access. Examination uses an AI-assisted classification system to triage applications across the Nice classification.
Japan has been a Madrid Protocol member since 2000 and supports an unusually rich set of mark types. Japanese trademarks may appear in Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, or Latin script, and the JPO accepts non-traditional marks including 3D, motion, hologram, color, sound, and position marks. The opposition window opens for two months from publication in the trademark gazette. The JPO register is not on Signa yet. Japanese marks reach Signa today through WIPO Madrid designations. Join the waitlist to hear when the JPO register is added.
Unique features
- J-PlatPat — Japan Platform for Patent Information, the most comprehensive free IP search platform in Asia, with full register coverage and a public REST API
- AI-assisted examination — JPO uses machine-learning models to triage Nice classification and similarity assessments
- Madrid Protocol member since 2000 — Japan accepts inbound Madrid designations and Japanese applicants can file outbound IRs
- Multi-script marks — trademarks may be filed in Kanji (漢字), Hiragana (ひらがな), Katakana (カタカナ), or Latin script, often combined on one mark
- Non-traditional mark types — 3D, motion, hologram, color-per-se, sound, and position marks all registrable since 2015
- Two-month opposition window — oppositions must be filed within 2 months of publication in the trademark gazette (kōhō)
- 10-year renewable term — registrations last 10 years from grant and are indefinitely renewable in 10-year increments
- IP Data Catalog — JPO publishes bulk standardized data feeds for daily deltas and historical seed, separate from the J-PlatPat web service
JPO API — Frequently asked questions
Everything developers ask before integrating JPO data
Need something else? See our documentation
JPO availability on Signa
J-PlatPat and Japanese marks
Need something else? See our documentation
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