- International families
- 776k21.0% of the world
- All families
- 2.08Mhome filings included
- Taken abroad
- 37%146k triadic
- Growth
- 1.0×2020 to 2024 against the five before
Year by year
Patent families of Japan origin by the year of the earliest filing, 2000 to 2025; 2025 is a part year, still filling in.
Source: Global Institute for National Capability (GINC), 2026. Underlying patents from 107 patent offices, IFI CLAIMS and Google
Innovation and National Capability
The nine domains of the National Capability Framework, each with the capabilities in which Japan has the most international patent families, in the period chosen. 2025 is a part year and 2026 has barely begun. Select a capability for its page.
Hard Power
Critical Technology
156k international families
Strategic Infrastructure
143k international families
National Security
2,376 international families
Soft Power
Human Capital
28k international families
Information & Influence
8,485 international families
Governance & Integrity
8,414 international families
Economic Power
Financial Strength
2,361 international families
Production & Innovation
390k international families
Trade & Investment
8,587 international families
Where its patents run deepest
International patent families, 2015 to 2024, in each capability of the National Capability Framework. Share of world is Japan's part of every country's families in the capability. Leans sets the capability's share of Japan's families against its share of the world's: 2.0× means twice the world's weight. Growth compares the latest five full years with the five before.
| 2000 to 2025 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing & Advanced Industry | Production & Innovation | 138,612 | 27.6% | 1 of 40 | 1.3× | 0.8× | |
| Production Systems | Strategic Infrastructure | 106,439 | 29.6% | 1 of 40 | 1.4× | 0.9× | |
| Foundational & Process Industries | Production & Innovation | 94,317 | 30.0% | 1 of 40 | 1.4× | 1.0× | |
| Advanced Semiconductor Fabrication | Critical Technology | 44,951 | 32.1% | 1 of 40 | 1.5× | 0.9× | |
| AI Tools & Applications | Strategic Infrastructure | 39,220 | 17.2% | 3 of 40 | 0.8× | 1.2× | |
| Service Delivery & Coverage | Human Capital | 38,520 | 14.7% | 2 of 40 | 0.7× | 0.8× | |
| Semiconductor Equipment & Materials | Critical Technology | 37,853 | 39.2% | 1 of 40 | 1.9× | 1.0× | |
| Applied AI & Advanced Analytics | Critical Technology | 37,272 | 18.0% | 3 of 40 | 0.9× | 1.1× | |
| Batteries & Energy Storage | Critical Technology | 31,663 | 26.7% | 1 of 40 | 1.3× | 1.3× | |
| Mobile & Wireless Networks | Strategic Infrastructure | 31,601 | 12.1% | 3 of 40 | 0.6× | 1.2× | |
| Advanced Wireless Communication | Critical Technology | 31,448 | 12.3% | 3 of 40 | 0.6× | 1.2× | |
| Advanced Packaging & Heterogeneous Integration | Critical Technology | 24,716 | 28.8% | 1 of 40 | 1.4× | 0.9× | |
| Industrial Technology Diffusion | Production & Innovation | 21,413 | 30.1% | 1 of 40 | 1.4× | 0.9× | |
| Agrifood & Primary Production | Production & Innovation | 17,669 | 13.8% | 2 of 40 | 0.7× | 1.0× | |
| Services Economy | Production & Innovation | 16,321 | 19.5% | 2 of 40 | 0.9× | 1.4× | |
| Digital Economy Adoption | Production & Innovation | 15,584 | 21.2% | 2 of 40 | 1.0× | 1.3× | |
| Advanced Imaging & Photonic Sensing | Critical Technology | 15,415 | 27.0% | 1 of 40 | 1.3× | 0.9× | |
| Autonomous Systems & Trusted Autonomy | Critical Technology | 15,331 | 27.0% | 1 of 40 | 1.3× | 1.1× | |
| Core & Backbone Networks | Strategic Infrastructure | 15,255 | 15.0% | 3 of 40 | 0.7× | 0.9× | |
| Physical Health & Longevity | Human Capital | 14,101 | 6.9% | 4 of 40 | 0.3× | 0.9× | |
| Health Infrastructure | Strategic Infrastructure | 13,906 | 17.5% | 2 of 40 | 0.8× | 1.0× | |
| Advanced Optical Communication & Photonics | Critical Technology | 13,338 | 27.0% | 1 of 40 | 1.3× | 1.0× | |
| Policing & Law Enforcement | Governance & Integrity | 13,305 | 23.6% | 1 of 40 | 1.1× | 0.8× | |
| Machine Learning & Foundation Models | Critical Technology | 13,257 | 12.3% | 4 of 40 | 0.6× | 1.5× | |
| Chemicals & Hazardous Process Industry | Strategic Infrastructure | 13,036 | 17.5% | 2 of 40 | 0.8× | 1.0× |
By domain and applicant
International patent families, 2015 to 2024. A family counts once in each domain it reaches.
Domains of the framework
Critical Technology
Strategic Infrastructure
Human Capital
Information & Influence
Governance & Integrity
Trade & Investment
Financial Strength
National Security
294,824
282,857
60,420
17,576
17,422
15,481
4,765
4,759
Largest applicants
CANON KK
TOYOTA MOTOR CORP
TOYOTA MOTOR CO LTD
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
PANASONIC IP MAN CO LTD
HONDA MOTOR CO LTD
DENSO CORP
NEC CORP
SEIKO EPSON CORP
FUJIFILM CORP
28,004
26,793
25,923
25,732
21,940
15,774
13,780
13,550
13,263
12,682