Invention Day

What Is Invention Day?

Every April 18th is "Invention Day" (発明の日, Hatsumei no Hi) in Japan. On April 18, 1885, Japan's first patent law — the Senbai Tokkyo Jōrei (専売特許条例, "Monopoly Patent Ordinance") — was promulgated, establishing Japan's first formal system for protecting intellectual property and encouraging innovation. Invention Day was established by a decision of the then-Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI, now METI) in January 1954, with the first Invention Day held that April 18, to promote public understanding of intellectual property and to celebrate the spirit of invention.

Japan's Patent System: From 1885 to Today

The 1885 Senbai Tokkyo Jōrei was modeled on Western patent systems and was part of the Meiji government's broader project of adopting European legal institutions. Korekiyo Takahashi (who later became Prime Minister) headed the patent office from 1885, and later that year traveled to the United States and Europe to study their patent and trademark systems. The very first Japanese patent — Patent No. 1 — was granted to Hotta Zuishō for a lacquer-based rust-preventing paint for ship hulls on August 14, 1885, a date now known as Patent Day (専売特許の日).

Japan as an Innovation Powerhouse

Over the following century, Japan developed into one of the world's most prolific sources of patents and inventions. Japanese companies and researchers have contributed innovations across electronics, automotive engineering, medical devices, robotics, and materials science, and Japan is one of the world's leading countries in patent applications. In 1985, marking the 100th anniversary of Japan's industrial property system, the Japan Patent Office selected the "Ten Great Japanese Inventors," including Sakichi Toyoda (wooden hand loom), Kōkichi Mikimoto (cultured pearls), Jōkichi Takamine (adrenaline), Kikunae Ikeda (monosodium glutamate), and Hidetsugu Yagi (the Yagi antenna).

Science and Technology Week

The week including Invention Day is designated "Science and Technology Week" (科学技術週間) in Japan, and the Japan Patent Office and regional bureaus of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry hold various events around this day. Although the World Intellectual Property Organization designated April 26 as World Intellectual Property Day in 2000, in Japan related events are held mainly around April 18, since Invention Day was already well established.

Fun Facts About Japanese Inventions

• Instant noodles: One of the world's most consequential food inventions — instant ramen — was created by Momofuku Ando of Nissin Foods in 1958. His Cup Noodles (1971) became a global product.
• Picture transmission: Yasujirō Niwa, one of the Ten Great Japanese Inventors, developed a phototelegraphy system — a forerunner of the fax machine.
• Blue LEDs: Japanese scientists Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the blue LED, which completed the color triad needed for white LED lighting — one of the most energy-efficient light sources ever developed.