Japan Patent Office promotes the system of industrial property rights to help the development of sciences and technology. The role of Japan Patent Office is to deal with the development in the entire industrial sphere through its system for industrial property rights, including examinations, trials, and designing of plans for this system. Japan Patent Office consists of General Affairs Department, Examining Department, Trial Department, General Information Office for Industrial property rights, and other sections and departments which work in close cooperation to fulfill several functions which include the following:

1. Granting Exclusive Rights to Patents, Etc.
   When Japan Patent Office receives an application from anywhere in the world, its examiners conduct a strict examination to determine whether patent or other rights can or can not be granted to an application. If an objection is raised to the result of the Japan Patent Office examination, a trial hearing will be conducted based on the Code of Civil Procedure by an examiner during a first trial hearing instead of a district court hearing.
2. Planning and Designing Industrial Right Policy
   Japan Patent Office also plans and designs a policy for industrial property rights. The following measures are usually undertaken to promote development:
   1. Expending the subject of protection of intellectual property rights (to provide broader protection),
   2. Revising the amounts for compensation for damages, etc. (to provide better protection),
   3. Promoting the activities of universities and research institutions (to enable promotion of intellectual property rights),
   4. Activating dormant patents, and other promotional activities.
3. International Exchange and Cooperation
   Japan Patent Office participates actively in international exchanges related to protection of industrial property rights and harmonization of the international system for industrial property rights, exchanges related to patent disputes, it cooperates with industrially advanced countries in Europe and America, and promotes international cooperation and cooperation between individual countries (education of experts, exchange of information, cooperative examinations).
4. Improving the System for Industrial property rights and Improving the Operations of This System
   Based on the results of this international exchange and planning and designing of measures aimed at ensuring industrial property rights, Japan Patent Office revises legal ordinance and amends regulations, revises its guidelines for examination (software technology, bio-technology, etc.), to create a system suitable for its functions.
5. Dissemination of Information about Industrial Property Rights
   General information relating to industrial property rights, information for meetings, etc., relating to industrial property rights, is published by Japan Patent Office in electronic format (on CD-ROM), circulated as information about industrial property rights, and is available for inspection in reading rooms.