A practice manual for renewing Japanese trademark registrations. The quietest failure mode in Japan is the instalment option. Electing to pay the renewal fee in two parts creates a second deadline five years after the renewal itself. It falls on a date unrelated to the renewal reminder, and missing it extinguishes the right retroactively from that point.
1. At a glance
- System type
- Ten-year renewal cycle
- Anchor date
- Date of registration of establishment
- Due date rule
- Tenth anniversary of the registration date
- Renewal window
- 6 months before expiry
- Grace period
- 6 months — the fee doubles
- Restoration
- Available where the failure was unintentional — 6 months Shorter than the one year allowed for patents
- Fee
- JPY 43,600 per class, paid in full
- Instalments
- JPY 22,800 twice, totalling 45,600 — second deadline five years later
- Reduction
- None
- Risk level
- Caution — high if instalments are elected
2. Anchor date and due-date calculation
The anchor is the date of registration of establishment, not the filing date. Renewal falls due on its tenth anniversary, with the window opening six months earlier.
Worked example
For a registration dated 2023-03-10, renewed for the first time with the instalment option elected.
| Item | Formula | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Window opens | Expiry − 6 months | 2032-09-10 |
| Renewal due | Registration + 10 years | 2033-03-10 |
| Grace ends | Due date + 6 months (fee doubled) | 2033-09-10 |
| Second instalment due | New expiry − 5 years | 2038-03-10 |
| Second instalment late period ends | That date + 6 months | 2038-09-10 |
| Next renewal due | Every 10 years thereafter | 2043-03-10 |
3. The renewal window
- The window opens six months before expiry.
- Renewal completes on payment, without examination, and no proof of use is required.
- Foreign proprietors must appoint a trademark administrator in Japan.
- Narrowing the list of goods requires a separate request.
4. Grace period and surcharge
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Grace period | 6 months from the due date |
| Surcharge | The same amount again — double in total |
| Paid in full | JPY 43,600 per class becomes 87,200 |
| If missed | The right lapses, subject to the restoration route |
5. Lapse and restoration
After the grace period the right lapses, but Japan does provide restoration where the failure was unintentional, so some room remains.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Requirement | The failure to meet the deadline was not intentional |
| Period | Six months in which the late filing can be made |
| Fee | JPY 86,400 restoration fee plus twice the original fee |
| Note | Patents allow one year; trademarks allow six months — treating them alike arrives too late |
6. Fees — full payment or instalments
Fees are charged per class. The renewal fee may be paid in full or in two instalments, and the instalment route costs more in total.
| Method | Amount (per class) | Total | Deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| In full | JPY 43,600 | JPY 43,600 | One |
| Instalments | JPY 22,800 twice | JPY 45,600 | Two — one falling five years later |
7. Madrid designations of Japan
A Japanese right obtained through an international registration renews at WIPO on the international registration date. No renewal request goes to the Japanese office and the instalment question does not arise. The individual fee is set per class in Swiss francs and is revised as exchange rates move.
8. Management checklist
- The registration date, from which every deadline is calculated.
- Whether the case is a direct filing or a Madrid designation, since designations renew at WIPO.
- The class count, which drives the fee.
- Whether the instalment option was elected — if so, docket the second instalment immediately as a separate item.
- A Japanese trademark administrator, required for foreign proprietors.
- The restoration period is six months; do not confuse it with the one year allowed for patents.
- Entering the grace period doubles the fee exactly, so requote.
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.