A practice manual for annuities on Japanese design (isho) registrations. Firms that also handle Japanese patents tend to carry the patent rules straight across, but designs differ in three places: the structure of the first payment, the restoration fee, and the availability of reductions.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Annual annuities
- Anchor date
- Date of registration
- Due date rule
- Registration date plus the years already paid Same formula as for patents
- First payment
- One year only — within 30 days of the decision to register Unlike the bundled years 1-3 for patents
- Grace period
- 6 months at double the fee
- Restoration
- Unintentional standard (from 2023-04) — 2 months / 1 year Restoration fee JPY 24,500
- Reduction
- None JPO reductions cover patents and utility models only
- Term
- Filing date + 25 years Registration date + 20 years for filings before 2020-04-01
- Risk level
- Normal
2. Anchor date and due-date calculation
The anchor is the date of registration. Each fee falls due on the anniversary of that date, counted by the number of years already paid — the same formula used for patents.
Worked example
For a registration dated 2023-03-10 the due dates are as follows. The first year is already paid at registration, so management begins with the second year.
| Instalment | Formula | Due date |
|---|---|---|
| Year 2 | Registration + 1 year | 2024-03-10 |
| Year 3 | Registration + 2 years | 2025-03-10 |
| Year 4 | Registration + 3 years | 2026-03-10 |
| … | Same each year | … |
| Year 25 | Registration + 24 years | 2047-03-10 |
3. When payments begin
- The right arises on payment of the first year's fee within 30 days of service of the decision to register.
- There is no bundled payment of years 1 to 3 as for patents — a design takes one year only.
- Payment is then annual from the following year, so management begins with year 2.
- Multi-year prepayment is available.
4. Grace period and surcharge
There is a six-month grace period at an equal surcharge, i.e. double the fee in total. It is not prorated by month: the doubling is fixed the moment the grace period begins.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grace period | 6 months from the due date |
| Surcharge | Equal amount — double in total |
| Calculation | Not prorated; the doubling is fixed on entering the grace period |
5. Lapse and restoration
The right lapses once the grace period expires. From April 2023 the restoration standard was relaxed to 'not intentional', making restoration more attainable than before.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard | Not intentional (relaxed from 2023-04) |
| Time limit | 2 months from removal of the cause / 1 year from expiry of the late-payment period |
| Restoration fee | JPY 24,500 (JPY 212,100 for patents) |
6. Reduction
7. Early and bulk payment
Multi-year prepayment is available. For long-lived registrations, prepaying is a way to reduce administrative load.
8. Official fees
| Band | JPY per year |
|---|---|
| Years 1-3 | 8,500 |
| Years 4-25 | 16,900 |
Related designs attract the same fees. Unlike patents there is no quantity axis such as claim count, so the amounts are simple.
9. Japan designated through Hague
10. Term extension
Designs have no equivalent of pharmaceutical term extension. The only way to maintain protection is to keep paying annuities, up to the ceiling of 25 years from filing or 20 years from registration depending on the filing date.
11. Management checklist
Fields to populate first
- Date of registration. Every due date is calculated from it.
- Filing date, since the term splits either side of 2020-04-01 and the applicable rule must be determined.
- Whether the case is a related design, and the filing date of the principal design.
- Whether the case came through Hague. If so, do not create a JPO annuity schedule.
- Leave the reduction field empty — designs have none.
Payment cycle
- On service of the decision to register, pay the first year within 30 days. That payment brings the right into existence.
- Thereafter manage to the registration anniversary each year.
- Confirm maintenance instructions with the client, and ask about multi-year prepayment at the same time to lighten ongoing administration.
- For cases in the grace period, re-invoice at double. It is not prorated, so a single day late costs twice.
Easily confused points
- The first payment covers one year. Do not confuse it with the bundled years 1-3 for patents.
- The restoration fee is roughly a tenth of the patent figure.
- There is no reduction, even for a client receiving reductions on its patent cases.
- The term depends on the filing date. Do not apply the 25-year axis to every case.
Sources, cut-off date and disclaimer
This manual is based on iphere's August 2026 survey of country-by-country overseas maintenance rules, together with values produced by the deadline engine that runs on those same rules. Official fees and deadline rules change by office notice, so please confirm against the official source and your local agent before any actual payment or filing.