Education: Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law in 1981
Qualification: Appointed as a legal apprentice in 1981
Professional Career:
1983 Appointed as a Judge, and then, assigned to Tokyo District Court,
Hiroshima District Court, Administrative Affairs Bureau, Secretary Division and Public Relations Division of Supreme Court, Kobe District Court
1993 Judge, Kobe District Court
1995 Judge, Tokyo District Court
1998 Director, Second Division, Administrative Affairs Bureau, Supreme Court
1999 Director, First and Third Division, Administrative Affairs Bureau, Supreme Court
2001 Director, Remuneration Division, Personnel Affairs Bureau, Supreme Court
2005 Presiding Judge, Tokyo District Court
2007 Director of Secretariat, Tokyo High Court
2010 Presiding Judge, Tokyo District Court
2011 Director General, Personnel Affairs Bureau, Supreme Court
2014 President, Shizuoka District Court
2016 Presiding Judge, Tokyo High Court
2018 President, Tokyo District Court
2018 President, Osaka High Court
2021 July 16, 2021 Justice of the Supreme Court
Name: HONDA Tomonari
Position: Chief Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Kanazawa University
1987 Appointed judge (Osaka District Court)
2008 – 2011 Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
2011 – 2016 Presiding Judge, Tokyo District Court
2016 – 2017 Presiding Judge, Yokohama District Court
2017 – 2019 Chief Judge, Kushiro District/Family Court
2019 Presiding Judge, Sapporo High Court
2019 – 2021 Chief Judge, Sapporo District Court
2021 – 2023 Presiding Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
2023 to Present Chief Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Naha District Court, Otsu District/Family Court, Obihiro Branch of Kushiro District/Family Court, Judicial Research Official, Supreme Court (Civil) etc.
Name: SHIMIZU Hibiku
Position: Presiding Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Tokyo University
1988 Appointed judge (Tokyo District Court)
1992 – 1997 Attorney, Civil Affairs Bureau Ministry of Justice,
Treaty Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1997 – 2000 First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in the Netherlands
2001 – 2006 Counselor, Civil Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Justice
2009 – 2011 Chief of Branch Koriyama Branch, Fukushima District/Family Court
2012 – 2017 Presiding Judge, Tokyo District Court
2019- -2020 Chief Judge, Wakayama District/Family Court
2020---2023 Presiding Judge, Osaka High Court
2023 to Present Presiding Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Asahikawa District/Family Court, Kawasaki Branch of Yokohama District/Family Court, Tokyo High Court.
Name: MOTOYOSHI Hiroyuki
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Master’s Program, Graduate School of Law, Keio University
1991 Appointed judge (Chiba District Court)
1993 – 1995 Judge, Osaka District Court（Intellectual Property Division）
2020 to Present Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Ashikaga Branch of Utsunomiya District/Family Court, Osaka High Court, Tokyo High Court, Mito Family Court etc.
Name: KIKUCHI Eri
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Tokyo University
1993 Appointed judge (Tokyo District Court)
2009 – 2012 Judge, Tokyo District Court (Intellectual Property Division)
2012 – 2016 Judicial Research Official, Supreme Court (Civil/Intellectual Property)
2016 – 2021 Judge, Tokyo High Court
2021 – 2024 Presiding Judge, Shizuoka District Court (Civil Division)
2024 – Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Yokohama District Court, Himeji Branch of Kobe District/Family Court,
Dispatched to the Federal Republic of Germany to research the German Judicial System (1995-1996, 2001)
Name: IMAI Hiroaki
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Psychology Department, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, Kyoto University
1996 Appointed judge (Yokohama District Court)
2001– 2004 Judge, Tokyo District Court（Intellectual Property Division）
2007– 2010 Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
2013- 2016 Judge, Tokyo District Court（Intellectual Property Division）
2016– 2019 Presiding Judge, Niigata District Court
2020– 2023 Presiding Judge, Tokyo Family Court
2023 to Present Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Naha District/Family Court, Sapporo Family/District Court.
Visiting Scholar, The French National School for the Judiciary, Max Planck Institute
Name: IWAI Naoyuki
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Tokyo University
1997 Appointed judge (Tokyo District Court)
2006 – 2008 Judge, Gifu District Court
2015 – 2016 Judge, Tokyo High Court
2020 – 2022 Presiding Judge, Nagoya District Court
2023~ Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, worked at Civil Affairs Bureau of Supreme Court.
Name: MIZUNO Masanori
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Tokyo University
1998 Appointed judge (Tokyo District Court)
2002 – 2004 Official, Second North America Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2004 – 2006 Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan in the United States of America
2020 – 2023 Judge, Fukuoka High Court
2023 to Present Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, worked at Administrative Affairs Bureau of Supreme Court, and judged cases at Kanazawa District/Family Court, Takeo Branch of Saga District/Family Court, Yokohama District Court.
Visiting Scholar, Sothern Methodist University, School of Law. LL.M.
Name: RAI Shin-ichi
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Tokyo University
1999 Appointed judge (Osaka District Court)
2004 – 2007 Judge, Tokyo District Court (Intellectual Property Division)
2021 – 2023 Judge, Tokyo High Court
2023 to Present Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Toyohashi Branch of Nagoya District/Family Court, Naha District/Family Court (Head Office and Okinawa Branch), Saku Branch of Nagano District/Family Court, Yokohama Family Court.
Name: TOYAMA Atsushi
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Faculty of Law, Nihon University
2005 Appointed judge (Tokyo District Court)
2014 - 2017 Examiner, Environmental Dispute Coordination Commission
2017 - 2019 Judge, Tokyo District Court (Intellectual Property Division)
2022 to Present Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Niigata District/Family Court, Koriyama Branch of Fukushima District/Family Court, Ichinoseki Branch of Morioka District/Family Court
Name: AMANO Kenji
Position: Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate of Arts in Literature, Waseda University
2001 – 2002 Nomura Securities, Co.Ltd.
2006 Appointed judge (Chiba District Court)
2015 – 2018 Judge, Tokyo District Court (IP Division)
2023 to Present Judge, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, judged cases at Kurashiki Branch of Okayama District/Family Court, Hachinohe Branch of Aomori District/Family Court, Matsudo Branch of Chiba District/Family Court.
Columbia Law School (LL.M., 2010)
Name: NAKANO Yuji
Position: Judicial Research Official, Intellectual Property High Court
Graduate, Dept. of Electrical Engineering of Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University
1994 Joined Japan Patent Office (JPO), Assistant Examiner
1998 Examiner, Patent Examination Dept., JPO
2007 – 2009 JETRO Düsseldorf (Intellectual Property)
2009 – 2011 Administrative Judge, Trial and Appeal Dept., JPO
2013 – 2015 Director, Human Resources Development Dept., National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT)
2016 – 2018 Deputy Director, International Standard Div., Industrial Science, Technology and Environment Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
2019 – 2021 Director, Patent Examination Dept., JPO
2021 – 2022 Senior Director, Patent Examination Dept., JPO
2022 – 2023 Chief Administrative Judge, Trial and Appeal Dept., JPO
2023 to Present Judicial Research Official, Intellectual Property High Court
In addition to the above, Examination Standards Office, Legislative Affairs Office, International Affairs Div. of the JPO, Visiting Scholar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Computer Science).
Name: TAKENAKA Kenshi
Position: Judicial Research Official, Intellectual Property High Court
1995 – 2000 Patent engineer / Mechanical engineer, working for a gas appliance manufacturer
2000 – 2022 Patent engineer / Patent and trademark attorney / Partner, working for an IP firm
2003 Registered as a patent and trademark attorney
2005 Qualified as an IP infringement litigator
2022 to Present Judicial Research Official, Intellectual Property High Court
