The Japan Patent Office (JPO) announced the release of the JPO Status Report 2016.
The Number of Domestic Patent Applications filed with the JPO
According to the report, the number of patent applications filed with the JPO (domestic patent applications in Japan), which was 318,721 in 2015, has been gradually decreasing recently, while the number of PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) international applications filed with the JPO, which was 43,097 in 2015, was record-high numbers.
A PCT application is usually entered into national or regional phases in several countries. When one PCT application is counted as more than one national application, the total number of patent applications from Japan is considered to be not so much decreased.
The Number of PCT International Applications filed with the JPO
