Japan Patent Office
Name:
KASAI Yasuyuki
Position:
Commissioner, Japan Patent Office
Biography
University of Tokyo (Bachelor of Law)
University of California, Berkeley (Master in Business Administration)
1990 April
Joined Ministry of International Trade and Industry
2009 January
Special Assistant to Director-General, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
2009 July
Counsellor, Fourth Department, Cabinet Legislation Bureau
2014 July
Director, Industry Revitalization Division, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
2015 July
Director for Industry and Employment, Economic and Fiscal Management Bureau, Cabinet Office
2018 July
Director, General Coordination Division, Japan Patent Office
2019 July
Deputy Director-General, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
2021 July
Director-General, National Space Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office
2023 July
Cabinet Secretariat
2025 July
Commissioner, Japan Patent Office
Name:
MOROOKA Kenichi
Position:
Director-General, Trial and Appeal Department, Japan Patent Office
Biography
1993
Joined the Japan Patent Office (JPO)
1997
Examiner, Metals and Electrochemistry Division, JPO
2003
Visiting research scholar, Stanford University, U.S.A.
2004
Deputy director, Administrative Affairs Division, JPO
2006
Deputy director, Policy Planning and Research Division, Policy Planning and Coordination Department, JPO
2008
Administrative judge, the 18th Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2009
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan
2011
Director, Intellectual Property Department, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) New York, U.S.A.
2014
Director, Examination Policy Planning Office, Administrative Affairs Division, Patent and Design Examination Department (Physics, Optics, Social Infrastructure and Design), JPO
2016
Director, Research Department, Industrial Property Cooperation Center (IPCC), Japan
2018
Director, Information Technology and Patent Information Management Office, Policy Planning and Coordination Department, JPO
2019
Senior director (Organic Chemistry Division), Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2020
Senior Director (Medical Science), Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2021
Director, Trial and Appeal Division, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2022
Director, Administrative Affairs Division, Patent and Design Examination Department (Physics, Optics, Social Infrastructure and Design), JPO
2023
Director-General, Patent Examination Department (Mechanical Technology), JPO
2025
Director-General, Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2026
Director-General, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
Name:
MITSUMOTO Minako
Position:
Executive Chief Administrative Judge, Trial and Appeal Department, Japan Patent Office
Biography
1993
Joined the Japan Patent Office (JPO) (Food Processing Division)
1997
Promoted to Patent Examiner
2000
Visiting research scholar in biotechnology, Harvard University, U.S.A.
2007
Administrative judge, the 25th Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2009
Senior Examiner, Biotechnology Division, Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2011
Associate Managing Examiner, Environmental Chemistry Division, Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2013
Associate Managing Examiner, Medical Science Division, Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2014
Director, Medical Science Division, Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2016
Director, Metals and Electrochemistry Division, Patent Examination Department (Chemistry, Life Science and Material Science), JPO
2018
Chief Administrative Judge, the 23rd Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2019
Chief Administrative Judge, the 24th Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2020
Judicial Research Official, Intellectual Property High Court, Japan
2023
Chief Administrative Judge, the 24th Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2024
Director of the Board of Trial and Appeal, the 21st Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2025
Senior Director of the Board of Trial and Appeal, the 21st Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2026
Executive Chief Administrative Judge, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
Also served at the Examination Standards Office, Administrative Affairs Division, Patent and Design Examination Department (Physics, Optics, Social Infrastructure and Design); Counseling Office, Personnel Division, Policy Planning and Coordination Department; and as an examiner, Patent Attorney Examination.
Name:
NEGISHI Katsuhiro
Position:
Senior director of the 35th Board of Trial and Appeal, Trial and Appeal Department, Japan Patent Office
Biography
1992
Joined the Japan Patent Office (JPO)
2010
Promoted to administrative judge
2011
Deputy director, Legislative Affairs Office, Policy Planning and Coordination Department, JPO
2014
Administrative Judge in Charge of Litigation, Litigation Affairs Office, Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
2017
Deputy Director in charge of trademark, Trademark Policy Planning Office, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, JPO
2018
Principal Examiner, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, JPO
2019
Director for Trademark Examination Planning, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, JPO
2021
Director of Chemicals and Foodstuffs Division and Director of the Trademark Policy Planning Office, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, JPO
2023
Director, Trademark Division, Trademark and Customer Relations Department, JPO
2026
Senior director of the 35th Board of Trial and Appeal (Chief Administrative Judge), Trial and Appeal Department, JPO
Name:
TAKAHASHI Masakazu
Position:
Managing Partner, T.TAKAHASHI PATENT OFFICE
Biography
1998
Graduated from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Keio University
1998
Joined T.TAKAHASHI PATENT OFFICE
2016–2018
Council Member, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2018–2019
Executive Director, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2020–Present
Board Member, Japan Group, Asian Patent Attorneys Association
2022–2023
Vice Chair, Copyright Committee, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2023–2024
Chair, Copyright Committee, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2025–Present
Managing Partner, T.TAKAHASHI PATENT OFFICE
2025–Present
Council Member, Asian Patent Attorneys Association
2025–2026
Vice President, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2026–Present
Director, International Activities Center, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
Name:
SHIMIZU Yoshinori
Position:
Managing Partner, SHIMIZU Global IP
Biography
The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Agriculture (Graduated in 1987)
Bond University, Australia, Master of Business Administration (MBA) (2007)
Toin University of Yokohama Law School, Juris Doctor (J.D.) (2011)
Expert Commissioner, Intellectual Property High Court
Mediator, Arbitrator & Panelist Candidate, Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center
1987–1999
Sumitomo 3M Limited and 3M Company (US)
1999–2025
Soei Patent & Law Firm
2003
Registered as a Japanese Patent Attorney
2005–2011
Biotechnology and Life Science Committee, Japan Patent Attorneys Association (Chair, 2007)
2012–Present
International Activities Center, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2026–Present
SHIMIZU Global IP Patent Firm
Name:
OTSUKA Kazutaka
Position:
ASAMURA IP P.C., Patent Attorney
Biography
1995–
Worked at a Japanese corporation, a Japanese patent firm, and a Japanese law firm
2005
Registered as a Patent Attorney (Japan)
2005–
Asamura Patent Office, P.C.
2009
Registered as an Authorized Infringement Litigation Counsel
(Patent Attorney with Additional Qualification for Specific Infringement Litigation)
(Patent Attorney with Additional Qualification for Specific Infringement Litigation)
2011–
Vice Chair, Case Law Study Committee, Japan Trademark Association
2011–2012
Trademark Committee, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2015–2016
Vice Chair, Trademark Committee (Division 3: International), Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2017–2018
Delegate, Japan Patent Attorneys Association
2019–
Brand Management Subcommittee, Intellectual Property Association of Japan
2020–2026
Lecturer, Practical Training Program, Japan Patent Attorneys Association