Registering your brand in Japan costs $399 per class in professional fees with us, plus the government filing fee charged by Japan Patent Office. We handle the whole filing — clearance, classes, the application itself and any examiner objection — and we confirm the exact government fee in writing before anything is filed.
What it costs to file a trademark in Japan
Two fees apply, and it matters which is which. Ours is fixed. The government’s is not ours to set and we never mark it up.
- Our professional fee — $399 per class. Flat, quoted upfront, covering clearance, class and goods drafting, filing and prosecution.
- JPO official fee — an application fee of roughly ¥3,400 plus about ¥8,600 per class, and then a separate registration fee of about ¥32,900 per class. Paid to the office, passed through at cost.
Official fees are approximate and current as at September 2026; every register reviews them periodically, so we reconfirm the figure at the point of filing rather than asking you to rely on a number published on a web page.
What is different about filing in Japan
Japan splits the cost in two: you pay an application fee to file and a much larger registration fee only once the mark is allowed. Budgeting for the filing fee alone and being surprised by the registration fee is a common mistake. The JPO examines relative grounds, and opposition runs after registration rather than before.
How the Japanese filing process runs
- Clearance. We check the Japanese register for earlier marks that would block or narrow yours, before you spend a filing fee.
- Classes and specification. Goods and services drafted to the Nice classification — too narrow and you leave gaps, too broad and you invite refusal.
- Filing. Filed as a national trademark at JPO.
- Examination. Absolute and relative grounds — we respond to any objection as part of the fee.
- Opposition. 2 months from publication of registration. We monitor the window and advise if anything is filed.
Use requirement at filing: no. You can register in Japan without having used the mark yet, though long-term non-use will eventually expose the registration to cancellation.
Keeping a Japanese registration alive
Renewable every 10 years, with the option to pay in five-year instalments.
Madrid Protocol or a direct Japanese filing?
Japan has been a Madrid Protocol member since 2000, so the mark can also be reached by designating it from an existing home registration instead of filing directly.
Which is cheaper depends entirely on how many countries you need. For one or two territories, direct national filings usually win. Past roughly three, a single Madrid application generally costs less and is far easier to renew, because everything moves on one date instead of several. We cost both routes before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Japan?
Our professional fee is $399 per class. JPO charges an application fee of roughly ¥3,400 plus about ¥8,600 per class, and then a separate registration fee of about ¥32,900 per class on top, which we pass through at cost. For a single-class filing that is the whole cost; additional classes are charged per class by both us and the office.
How long does Japanese trademark registration take?
Absolute and relative grounds, and the opposition period runs for 2 months from publication of registration. Where no objection and no opposition arise, registration follows on from there; an examiner objection or an opposition extends the timeline materially. We give you a current estimate at filing rather than a generic one.
Do I need to be based in Japan to file?
No. Foreign applicants can register in Japan. What you may need is a local address for service, which we provide as part of the filing, so being outside Japan is not an obstacle.
Is a clearance search really necessary?
Filing fees are not refundable. A refusal based on an earlier confusingly similar mark costs you the fee and the months spent waiting for it. If you would rather test the ground first, our standalone trademark clearance search starts at $120 and the findings feed straight into the filing.
File your Japanese trademark — $399 per class, plus the JPO official fee
The $399 is PerspireIP’s professional fee per class. The JPO official filing fee is additional, is passed through at cost and is never marked up. Send us the mark and the goods or services it covers using the form below. We reply within one business day with the class recommendation, the exact JPO fee and the all-in total before anything is filed.