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How to become a Patent Examiner

Examines inventions submitted to the Japan Patent Office and decides whether they can be patented.

Workers in this job say a master's degree, university, or a doctorate is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

You must pass a technical category of the national public service comprehensive (career-track) exam (university graduate level or postgraduate level). Examiners are hired evenly from those who pass in every exam category: engineering; chemistry, biology and pharmacy; mathematical science, physics and earth science; and agriculture. Numbers vary each year; in 2025, 65 people were hired, 24 of them women. After about 3 months of training you are appointed an assistant examiner and examine real applications under one-to-one guidance from a supervising examiner. You also take a first training course (about 2 months) and a second course (about 1 month) on laws, treaties and examination practice, along with English training and technical training at companies, and university graduates are usually promoted to examiner in their fifth year. Those with a master's degree can be promoted in their fourth year, and those with a doctorate in their third year. As well as training in basic knowledge, there are good training schemes on technology trends, law and overseas court cases, and opportunities to study abroad. Examining inventions is highly specialised work, so you need to take an interest in the latest technology and want to keep gathering research and development information in your field. To make decisions that applicants and other interested parties can accept, you need logical thinking, sound judgement and a sense of balance. There is a lot of written communication, so writing skills are important, and you often research overseas papers, so English is essential.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Patent Examiner?

You must pass a technical category of the national public service comprehensive (career-track) exam (university graduate level or postgraduate level). Examiners are hired evenly from those who pass in every exam category: engineering; chemistry, biology and pharmacy; mathematical science, physics and earth science; and agriculture. Numbers vary each year; in 2025, 65 people were hired, 24 of them women. After about 3 months of training you are appointed an assistant examiner and examine real applications under one-to-one guidance from a supervising examiner. You also take a first training course (about 2 months) and a second course (about 1 month) on laws, treaties and examination practice, along with English training and technical training at companies, and university graduates are usually promoted to examiner in their fifth year. Those with a master's degree can be promoted in their fourth year, and those with a doctorate in their third year. As well as training in basic knowledge, there are good training schemes on technology trends, law and overseas court cases, and opportunities to study abroad. Examining inventions is highly specialised work, so you need to take an interest in the latest technology and want to keep gathering research and development information in your field. To make decisions that applicants and other interested parties can accept, you need logical thinking, sound judgement and a sense of balance. There is a lot of written communication, so writing skills are important, and you often research overseas papers, so English is essential.

Do you need a degree to become a Patent Examiner?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 69% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Patent Examiner?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026