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How In-House Counsel Can Manage Japan PCT Entry

Introduction: Japan's PCT Landscape for In-House Legal Teams

Managing international patent portfolios from within an organization is no easy task—especially when it comes to entering the national phase in Japan. With its strict formality requirements, complex translation needs, and cost considerations, Japan presents unique challenges for in-house counsel responsible for global filings. This article breaks down how to efficiently navigate Japan PCT national phase entry, reduce unnecessary legal spend, and work smoothly with reliable local agents.

Step 1: Determine the Right Timing and Budget

Japan requires national phase entry within 30 months of the earliest priority date. In-house teams should plan well ahead and align the budget to cover translation, filing, and potential future prosecution costs. Consideration should also be given to whether to amend claims before entry to reduce translation and examination complexity.

Step 2: Coordinate With a Local Partner You Can Trust

The right local partner can significantly reduce your internal workload. At Origami International Patent Firm, we offer:

  • Flat-rate national phase filing (JPY 43,000)
  • Translation at 30 JPY/EN word
  • Claim amendment support
  • Real-time updates for your internal IP management system
Learn more about our support services: Origami's PCT/Paris Entry into Japan.

Step 3: Stay Aligned With Internal and External Stakeholders

In-house counsel must ensure alignment across R&D, legal, and external counsel. Be sure to communicate timelines clearly and update your docketing systems as soon as key filing events occur. Origami’s team supports you with precise documentation and attorney reports for seamless integration into your internal workflow.

Compliance and Strategic Filing

Japan allows amendments upon entry—take advantage of this to streamline the application and avoid later office actions. You may also consider utilizing the PPH route to accelerate examination if corresponding claims were allowed abroad. This minimizes in-house time spent managing extended prosecution.

Conclusion: Simplifying Japan PCT Entry with Origami

With budget pressure and limited resources, in-house legal departments benefit from streamlined processes. Origami International Patent Firm offers exactly that—clarity, cost-efficiency, and communication tailored for in-house teams.

FAQs for In-House Counsel

Can I manage filings across multiple jurisdictions with Origami?

Yes. Origami can coordinate with your existing global counsel or act as your agent for Japan, Korea, and China.

How are updates communicated to our legal ops team?

We offer secure email reports, shared folders, and real-time dashboards to integrate with your workflow.

Does Origami handle both translation and legal representation?

Yes. We provide both legal and linguistic support in-house, avoiding third-party markups.

Can we request customized reporting or billing formats?

Of course. We routinely adjust our format to comply with enterprise client standards.

Contact Information

6-23-4, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo-to 150-0001, Japan
+81-50-6875-3628
info@origamipatentfirm.com
https://origamipatentfirm.com/en/origami-international-patent-firm-assist-pct-or-paris-extension-into-jp/
*We would appreciate it if you could set up the domain for @origamipatentfirm.com, regarding the above your email address. If not, our email might end up in the spam folder.

FYI: Competitive Fee Schedule

Compared to a typical Japanese patent firm, Origami International Patent Firm offers highly competitive and transparent pricing tailored to overseas applicants.

This means that applicants working with Origami can typically expect 50–70% total cost savings compared to conventional Japanese firms, without compromising on quality, responsiveness, or technical accuracy.

Item For Patent Application Typical Firm (Service Fee) Origami Firm (Service Fee)
PCT or Paris Extension into JP or
Regular Filing in JP 		100,000 JPY All-inclusive price 43,000 JPY
(about 300 USD)
Filing an amendment based on Art. 19 30,000 JPY
Filing an amendment based on Art. 34 30,000 JPY
Filing a voluntary amendment 30,000 JPY
Claiming priority to one or more prior applications 10,000- JPY
Filing a request for examination 20,000 JPY 15,000 JPY
(about 100 USD)
PPH (excluding a request for examination) 80,000 JPY 60,000 JPY
(about 400 USD)
Filing a priority certificate in the absense of DAS code (*1) 20,000 JPY 15,000 JPY
(about 100 USD)
Translation of each procedural document (*2) 40 JPY/EN Word 30 JPY/EN Word
Response to an Office action (*3) 200,000 or more JPY Workload A: 40,000 JPY (*4)
Workload B: 80,000 JPY (*4)
Workload C: 120,000 JPY (*4)
Workload D: 160,000 JPY (*4)
Workload E: 180,000- JPY (*4)
Filing a Divisional Application 80,000 JPY 60,000 JPY
(about 400 USD)
Reporting a notice of allowance and paying the registration fee (1st to 3rd year in lump sum as registration fee) 50,000 JPY 28,000 JPY
(about 180 USD)
Payment of annuity 30,000 JPY 15,000 JPY
(about 100 USD)

*1. Regarding "Filing a priority certificate in the absence of DAS code", the certificate and DAS code are issued by the Patent Office after a precedent application was filed. Furthermore, one of them is required only when you claim a priority based on the precedent application in Japan. In other words, they are not required if there is no precedent application.

*2. Regarding "Translation of each procedural document", we will charge a translation fee regarding specifications including a description, claims, abstract, and drawings which are needed to file with the JPO. Regarding an office action, we will charge the translation fee thereof if you request us to translate it from Japanese to English for studying it on your side. In other words, we do not charge when you prefer not to translate the office action.

*3. Response to an office action issued by the JPO, an amendment and argument are prepared for responding to it and for arguing that the concerned application should be registered. Please note that the office action is not necessarily issued, it is issued only when there is the reason for rejection regarding a registration of a Patent/Design/Trademark application, the reason being Novelty, Inventive Step, and the like. In other words, we do not charge when there is no office action or when you prefer not to respond to the issued office action.

*4. Regarding our service fee for responding to the office action, it is specified based on from "Workload A" to "Workload E". These workloads depend on degree of difficulty for overcoming the reason for rejection and/or the number of the reasons described therein.
The "Workload A" is, for example, a task of deleting a part of claims;
The "Workload B" is, for example, a task of preparing a comment for overcoming the office action;
The "Workload C" is, for example, a task of preparing and filing a response to the office action;
The "Workload D" is, for example, a task of preparing a comment for overcoming the office action and filing a response thereto; and
The "Workload E" is, for example, an additional or extra task in addition to the "Workload D".

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