J-PlatPat Guide: Searching Japanese Patents in English
You are designing a new fixture at a plant in Thailand or Ohio, and your Japanese parent company or supplier is active in the same field. Before you commit to a design or file your own patent, you want to know whether a Japanese company has already published the idea. You open J-PlatPat, the free database run by Japan's patent information agency, type an English keyword, and get either a handful of hits or more than 3,000. Neither result tells you much.
The short answer: English keywords on J-PlatPat search only the English abstracts of Japanese applications, not the full Japanese text. To search thoroughly, find a few close documents, then search by the patent classification codes (FI and F-terms) printed on them. Those codes work the same in any language, and the English interface can show machine translations so you can read what you find.
This guide covers the purpose of a patent search, the Japanese patent basics you need to read the results, what the English interface can and cannot do, a six-step search process, how to read a Japanese patent publication, and the limits of searching on your own. It ends with a search log template and a short list of situations to hand to a patent attorney.
Contents
- Know Why You Are Searching
- Japanese Patent Basics You Need to Read the Results
- What J-PlatPat Can and Cannot Do in English
- Steps 1–3: Break Down the Idea and Run a Preliminary Search
- Steps 4–5: Check the FI and F-Terms, Then Search by Code
- Step 6: Read the Publications, Check Their Status, and Keep a Record
- Search Log Template and Hand-Off Checklist
- Common Mistakes and the Limits of Your Own Search
- Key Takeaways
- FAQ
- Sources
Know Why You Are Searching
Patent searches fall into four broad types. The Kansai branch of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association lists them as follows (the Japanese names appear in parentheses because you will see them in Japanese reports and emails):
- Technology landscape search (gijutsu doko chosa): find out what has already been published, before or during R&D.
- Prior art search (senko gijutsu chosa): check whether the same invention was filed before yours. Also called a pre-filing search.
- Freedom-to-operate (FTO) search (shingai yobo chosa): check whether someone else's patent could block you from making or selling a product. Also called an infringement clearance search.
- Invalidity search (muko shiryo chosa): look for documents that could invalidate a patent standing in your way.
The two that engineers usually run themselves before development are landscape searches and prior art searches. Both ask whether similar technology is already out there, and you can do them by reading patent publications the way you read any technical document.
Prior Art Search vs. FTO Search
Both searches look for other people's patents, but they answer completely different questions.
A prior art search checks whether your idea is new. Article 29 of Japan's Patent Act denies a patent to an invention that was published before filing, or that someone could easily have arrived at from published inventions. That makes everything published fair game: expired patents and rejected applications count just as much as live ones.
An FTO search checks whether your product or process falls within the scope of someone else's rights. It targets patents in force and applications that may still become patents (those under examination or waiting for an examination request), and the part you read is the claims.
You may search the same publications, but the target documents, the part you read, and who draws the conclusion are different.
Names vary by organization. In Japanese, an FTO search may be called shingai yobo chosa, shingai boshi chosa, kenri chosa, or clearance chosa.
How Far an Engineer Should Go Alone
Article 70 of the Patent Act says the technical scope of a patented invention is determined by the claims. The meaning of the terms in the claims is interpreted in light of the description and drawings, so deciding whether a product falls within a patent is a legal judgment.
If your own search turns up nothing worrying, that alone does not show that you are free to operate.
A safe division of labor: the engineer collects the closest publications and sorts out what they disclose, and a patent attorney or other specialist judges infringement. The rest of this guide focuses on the prior art search, which engineers can run on their own, and returns to FTO concerns in the last section.
Japanese Patent Basics You Need to Read the Results
To make sense of the numbers and dates on the results screen, you need the timeline from filing to expiry. Once you know which publication appears at which point, the screen becomes much easier to read.
All periods run from the filing date. Publications appear twice: when the application is laid open and when the patent is registered.
General flow under Articles 48-3, 64, 67, and 112 of Japan's Patent Act. The term can be extended in some cases. Kind codes as listed in J-PlatPat Help.
The 18-Month Blind Spot
Under Article 64 of the Patent Act, a Japanese application is published 18 months after its filing date. In other words, applications filed in roughly the last year and a half generally do not show up in any search yet. No matter how carefully you search, that window stays hidden.
Published Applications vs. Granted Patents
Two kinds of publications matter: the publication of the unexamined application, issued when it is laid open, and the patent publication, issued at registration. INPIT (the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training, which runs J-PlatPat) notes in its training text that a patent publication carries three numbers: the application number, the publication number, and the patent number.
The claims in a published application are what the applicant asked for. Claims are often amended during examination, so to check the actual scope of a patent, read the patent publication issued after registration.
Search results also include applications that were published but never examined and never became patents. Japan also has utility models (jitsuyo shinan), which are registered without substantive examination and last 10 years from filing. J-PlatPat searches them on the same screen as patents, and as prior art they count the same way.
What J-PlatPat Can and Cannot Do in English
J-PlatPat is a free database operated by INPIT. Anyone can search Japanese patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks, plus the examination history of each case. Click "English" at the top right of the top page to switch the interface to English.
The language you search in changes what you are searching. Here is how the English interface handles it, based on J-PlatPat's English Help and JPO training material:
- Search target text: "English text" searches Domestic documents (PAJ). PAJ (Patent Abstracts of Japan) is English abstract data for unexamined Japanese applications. JPO training material (2016) gives its coverage as publications from 1976 onward. You search the abstract, title, and applicant, not the full description.
- Search target text: "Japanese text" searches the full Japanese text: claims, description, abstract, and more. You need Japanese keywords for this.
- Classification codes (FI, F-term, IPC) are the same in both modes. A code search finds Japanese documents regardless of the words they use.
- Reading documents: the English interface shows machine-translated text and has a "Mistranslation" button for reporting errors. JPO training material (2016) says claims and descriptions can be machine-translated for publications from 1993 onward. Treat the translation as a reading aid, not as the legal text.
- PMGS (the classification search tool) accepts English keywords. The English manual's own example finds an FI by searching "Batteries*Lighting".
The practical takeaway: use English keywords to find your first few relevant documents, then switch to classification codes. If a Japanese-speaking colleague can help, adding Japanese full-text keywords on top of the codes gives you the most complete search. Coverage years change over time, so check the current ranges on the "Document Coverage Information" page linked from the top page.
Under "Patents/Utility Models" in the top menu bar, J-PlatPat offers three tools. The two you will use most are "Patent/Utility Model Search" and "Patent/Utility Model Classification Search (PMGS)."
Which tool you start with depends on whether you have a number, a description, or a classification.
The search itself follows six steps. The key is not to write the perfect query on day one. Instead, use keywords to find a few close publications, then use the classification codes on those publications to widen the search.
Three phases: prepare, search, and confirm. Expect to loop through steps 3–5 several times.
INPIT's training text for professional searchers uses a similar sequence: understand the invention, decide the search angles, run the search, then review the approach and search again.
Steps 1–3: Break Down the Idea and Run a Preliminary Search
The first three steps turn your technology into searchable words and find publications to use as leads. This search is not meant to be complete. It is groundwork for the classification search that follows.
Steps 1 and 2: Split the Technology Into Elements and List Synonyms
Start by summarizing the technology in one sentence: what it is, how it is built, and what it achieves. Then split that sentence into elements. As a running example, we will use a fictional theme: "a holding mechanism that keeps the bit (tool tip) of an electric screwdriver from falling out during work."
For each element, list alternative words. Each applicant uses its own terminology, so the same part may appear as "bit," "tool tip," or simply "tool", and the Japanese text has its own set of variants.
Even INPIT's training text for the professional searchers who support JPO examiners warns that searching only the exact wording of a claim rarely gives satisfactory results, and it asks searchers to consider synonyms broadly.
Combine words within an element with OR and combine elements with AND. Use the English terms for an English-text (PAJ) search and the Japanese terms for a Japanese full-text search.
JA: 電動ドライバー 電動工具 ねじ締め機 インパクトドライバー
JA: ビット 先端工具 工具
JA: 抜け止め 脱落防止 保持 係止
JA: 磁石 ボール スリーブ ばね
A fictional theme for explanation only. It does not represent actual search results or any specific publication. The English words are illustrative. Because a space means OR, enter single words rather than phrases, then add the wording you see in the abstracts you find.
If you add the "means" element from the start, you will miss publications that solve the same problem by a different means. Search with the device, part, and problem first, and add elements only when the hit count is too high.
Step 3: Search From the "Selective Input" Tab
Patent/Utility Model Search has three tabs: "Selective Input," "Logical Expression Input," and "Search History." Start with Selective Input. Based on the operation manual, the basic flow is:
- Under "Search target text," select "English text" (PAJ abstracts) or "Japanese text" (full text).
- Under "Document types," select "Domestic documents (PAJ)" for English text or "Domestic Documents" for Japanese text.
- Under "Search keywords," choose a search item, such as "Abstract," "Full text," or "Scope of Claims," and enter words in the "Keyword" field.
- Add a row of search items for each additional element.
- Click "Search," then open a document from the document number link in the Search Result List.
Several words in one keyword field, separated by spaces, give an OR search. Each additional row gives an AND search. Put element A in row 1, element B in row 2, and element C in row 3, and you get "documents that contain at least one word from A, at least one from B, and at least one from C."
For Japanese text, J-PlatPat automatically covers differences that only affect how characters are written: full-width vs. half-width characters, upper vs. lower case, long-vowel marks vs. hyphens, and small vs. full-size kana. It does not cover spelling variants such as the manual's example, "プレイヤー" and "プレーヤー" (both "player"). Different words with the same meaning, such as "締結" and "締付" (both roughly "fastening"), also have to be entered yourself, separated by spaces.
For English text, you can use a wildcard: enclose the keyword in single quotation marks and add an asterisk at the end, such as 'memory*'. It works only after at least three characters, and only at the end of a word.
More Than 3,000 Hits: No List
According to J-PlatPat Help, when the hit count is 0 or above 3,000, the Search Result List is not displayed.
To narrow a large result, move the search item from "Full text" to "Scope of Claims" or "Abstract." You can also add one more element, or limit the period with the date setting under search options.
The Search Result List shows the document number, filing date, title, applicant/right holder, status, FI, and other fields. The list also links to hit counts by publication year and by FI, and a "Various Ranking" button ranks the FI codes and applicants across your hits. Check here which classifications your results cluster in.
Your goal at this stage is to pick out about three to five publications that look close, judging by the title and drawings. That number is a practical rule of thumb, not an official standard. Even one close document is enough to move on.
Steps 4–5: Check the FI and F-Terms, Then Search by Code
A keyword-only search leaves gaps caused by differences in wording. Patent classifications fill those gaps. The JPO assigns them to every document, one by one.
Why Keywords Alone Are Not Enough
There are two reasons. The first is wording, as described above: you cannot find a publication that uses words you did not think of. For English-text searches, the gap is wider, because you are searching only an English abstract written by someone else.
The second is coverage. According to INPIT's J-PlatPat beginner training text (May 2024 edition), Japanese keyword search mainly covers the text of electronic publications, which for unexamined applications means 1993 onward.
Older paper publications have text data from 1971 onward, but not all of them are included. Coverage is updated over time; check the "Document Coverage Information" page on the J-PlatPat top page for the current state. Patent classifications, by contrast, are assigned to all publications, including older paper ones. The English manual describes FI as a search key that works across publications from all years, regardless of revisions to the international classification.
What Are FI and F-Terms?
Japanese patents carry the International Patent Classification (IPC), used worldwide, plus two Japan-specific systems: FI and F-terms. FI subdivides the IPC further. An FI code is an IPC code with a three-digit expansion code, a one-letter file discrimination symbol, or both added at the end.
F-terms work inside "themes," each of which groups a range of FI codes. Within a theme, F-terms break the technology down from several angles, such as purpose, function, structure, material, application, and manufacturing method. Each theme has a five-character alphanumeric theme code. The English manual notes that F-terms appear on publications issued from 2000 onward.
A simple way to keep them apart: FI tells you which technical field a document belongs to, and F-terms tell you which features it has.
The codes get more specific from top to bottom. The examples are footwear classifications taken from INPIT training material.
The example codes were checked against the classification tables as revised in April 2026. When entering codes in J-PlatPat, put a comma (,) before an expansion code and an at sign (@) before a file discrimination symbol. Classifications are revised from time to time, and documents can be reclassified after publication.
Step 4: Read the Codes on Close Documents and Check Their Definitions in PMGS
Open the close documents from your preliminary search and look at their FI and F-terms. On the document display screen, the "Search key" button lists the latest search keys for that document, including FI codes and theme codes, as links.
A code that appears on several of your close documents is the "address" of the technology you are looking for. Next, check what that code covers in PMGS. In the "Code Inquiry" tab, enter the code to see its place in the classification table, along with the broader and narrower codes around it.
If you use a code without reading its definition, you will miss related technology filed under the neighboring code. If you have not found any close documents yet, use the "Search by Keyword" tab in PMGS instead. Choose "FI/Facet," "F-term," or "IPC (latest version)" as the search target and enter a technical term. PMGS lists the codes whose descriptions contain that term. In the English interface, English terms work here, which makes PMGS a practical starting point for non-Japanese speakers. English descriptions may not be available for every F-term theme; if one is missing, ask a Japanese-speaking colleague or use a browser translation of the Japanese page as a reading aid.
Step 5: Send the Codes to the Search Screen and Run the Main Search
In PMGS, select the codes you want and click "Set to Search." The Patent/Utility Model Search screen opens with those codes already entered as search items. Several codes in the same field give an OR search; codes in separate input fields (added with the add button) give an AND search.
If a code-only search returns a readable number of hits, review the list as it is. If there are too many, add a row and combine the codes with keywords. Codes pin down the technical field, and keywords narrow it to the feature you care about.
Do not expect to get it right the first time. When a publication you read gives you a new synonym or another code, add it to the query and search again.
When new searches keep returning publications you have already read, that is one practical sign that you have covered the area. There is no fixed rule, so record where you stopped and why.
Logical Expressions and Proximity Search
Once you are comfortable, try the "Logical Expression Input" tab. Each term is written as "keyword/field tag." The tags are TX (full text), CL (claims), AB (abstract), FI (FI), and FT (F-term). The operators are "*" for AND, "+" for OR, and "-" for NOT, with square brackets for grouping.
The fictional example from Figure 5, written as a Japanese full-text expression, looks like this: [電動工具/TX+電動ドライバー/TX]*[ビット/CL+先端工具/CL]*[抜け止め/TX+脱落防止/TX]. In words: (power tool OR electric screwdriver, in the full text) AND (bit OR tool tip, in the claims) AND (retain OR prevent falling out, in the full text).
You do not have to write expressions from scratch. Set up the conditions in the Selective Input tab and click "Expand conditions to logical expression" (the label may differ slightly) to get the equivalent expression. You can save up to three logical expressions, but they are stored per browser, so keep a separate copy of your queries in your search log.
To exclude documents where two words appear far apart, use a proximity search. The format is "keyword1,interval C or N,keyword2/field." C fixes the word order and N does not. The interval can be 1–99, and in Japanese text it counts characters. For example, "ビット,10N,保持/TX" (bit, hold) finds documents where the two words appear within 10 characters of each other in the full text.
Step 6: Read the Publications, Check Their Status, and Keep a Record
Once the hit count is manageable, read the publications to confirm what they disclose. Reading dozens or hundreds of documents in full is not realistic, so read in a set order.
What to Read in a Japanese Patent Publication
In text display mode, the document display screen splits the publication into sections such as bibliographic information, abstract, claims, detailed description, and drawings. A two-pass approach saves time: screen by the title and drawings first, then read the claims and examples only for the documents that survive.
Screen with the drawings and abstract. Confirm the content with the claims and the detailed description.
In a prior art search, everything written anywhere in the publication counts, not just the claims.
The "background art" or "prior art documents" section of the description often lists related publications cited by the applicant.
Follow the publications cited by your closest documents. This often turns up documents your queries missed. If you have a number, open it directly in "Patent/Utility Model Number Search/OPD."
Check the Current Status in the History Information
A publication only reflects the situation on the day it was issued. To find out whether an examination was requested, whether a patent was granted, and whether it is still in force, check the history information. Click the history information button in the Search Result List or on the document display screen (labeled "Details" on the English document display screen) to open the Inquiry of History Information screen.
Switch between tabs to see each type of information. Some tabs appear only when the case has that information.
Tab structure based on J-PlatPat Help (Japanese) as of September 2026; contents based on INPIT's training text (May 2024). Tab names here are descriptive translations and may differ slightly from the English interface. Tabs other than the history records appear only when relevant, and the screens can change after system updates.
The "Status" column in the Search Result List also shows the current state. According to Help, it covers patent applications filed in Japan on or after January 1, 1998; older applications and utility models show "-".
The Japanese operation manual warns, however, that history information does not replace the official publications. INPIT's training text also advises that the exact term and similar details should be confirmed by requesting an extract of the patent register. Treat the on-screen status as a guide to the situation, not as proof.
Log Your Queries and Conclusions
Record the search so that someone else can retrace it later. There is no fixed format, but in practice you should keep at least five items: the search date, the queries you used (keywords, codes, period), the hit counts, the numbers of the documents you judged close, and how each differs from your technology.
New publications are issued almost every day, so the same query gives different results over time. With the queries on file, you can rerun them just before prototyping or filing and check only what is new.
If you attach the results to a design review package, the queries and search date show reviewers exactly how far the search went.
If your company keeps past search reports or technical reports, check those first as well. Some companies are also setting up generative AI tools to search their design documents and drawings.
Search Log Template and Hand-Off Checklist
Copy this template into a spreadsheet or your design review file. One row per query is enough.
| Field | What to write | Example (fictional) |
|---|---|---|
| Search date | The date you ran the query | 2026-10-22 |
| Purpose | Landscape, prior art, or FTO groundwork | Prior art before concept freeze |
| Technology (one sentence) | What it is, how it is built, what it achieves | Bit holder that keeps an electric screwdriver bit from falling out |
| Search text and document type | English text (PAJ) or Japanese text (full text) | English text, Domestic documents (PAJ) |
| Query | Keywords per row, codes, fields, date limits; or the logical expression | Row 1: screwdriver driver; Row 2: bit; Row 3: retain hold |
| Hit count | Number of hits for this query | (record the actual number) |
| Close documents | Publication or patent numbers | (record the numbers you found) |
| Codes found | FI and theme codes/F-terms shared by close documents | (record the codes) |
| Difference from our idea | What the document does not disclose | (one line per document) |
| Status checked | Pending, granted, lapsed; date checked | (from the history information) |
| Next action | Search again, change the design, or consult IP staff | (decision and owner) |
Before you report "no prior art found," check the list below:
- Did you search with both keywords and classification codes?
- Did you read the definitions of the codes in PMGS, including neighboring codes?
- Did you search more than one way (different synonyms, different codes)?
- Did you read past the abstract into the drawings and examples of the close documents?
- Did you follow the publications cited by your closest documents?
- Did you check the current status of any close patent or application?
- Did you note the 18-month window that no search can see?
- Did you log every query with its date and hit count?
Stop and take it to your IP department or a patent attorney (a benrishi in Japan, or a qualified patent attorney or agent where you operate) in any of these situations:
- You found a close patent that is still in force, or a close application still under examination.
- The specification of a new product is fixed and you are preparing for production or sales.
- A customer asks you to confirm that your product does not infringe third-party rights.
- You plan to manufacture or sell in another country and need to check that country's patents too.
- You are deciding whether to file a patent on your own idea.
Common Mistakes and the Limits of Your Own Search
Common Mistakes
- Searching with a single keyword, getting no hits, and concluding there is no prior art
- Searching only with your company's internal term and missing documents that use other wording
- Reading only the abstract, deciding it is different, and missing a close structure in the examples
- Treating the claims in a published application as the scope of the granted patent
- Not logging the queries, then being unable to explain later what was covered
- Relying only on English-text (PAJ) results and assuming they reflect the full Japanese text
The first mistake is the most common. A search that finds nothing means only that that particular query found nothing. Only after you have searched from several angles, with different synonyms and codes, can you say "nothing found within the scope searched."
What Your Search Can and Cannot Tell You
The most a prior art search can say is: "Within this search scope, among documents published up to this date, we found nothing identical." Unpublished applications are invisible, and prior art is not limited to patents. It also includes papers, catalogs, and products themselves.
Infringement calls for even more caution. Whether a product falls within someone else's patent depends on how the claims are interpreted, and it is not something an engineer should conclude from an impression of the publication. If you plan to make or sell in another country, that country's patents need a separate check.
In Japan, the Patent Attorney Act lists expert opinions on patents among the duties of a benrishi, and Article 71 of the Patent Act provides a procedure for asking the JPO for an advisory opinion (hantei) on the technical scope of a patent. If you consult as soon as you find a close patent, you can weigh options such as changing the design or looking more closely at the status of the rights while there is still time.
Your own search still has real value. The engineer in charge understands the technology better than anyone, and reading the closest publications shows how other companies have solved the same problem. Searching at the concept design stage lets you rethink your options before the approach is locked in. Reading and searching patents is a basic engineering skill, and the quality of the information you gather directly shapes how well you set R&D themes. And when you do bring in a specialist, your list of close document numbers and queries makes the discussion far more concrete.
Key Takeaways
- Decide why you are searching first. Prior art searches and FTO searches target different documents and different parts of each document.
- Japanese applications are published 18 months after filing, so the most recent filings are invisible.
- English keywords on J-PlatPat search only PAJ abstracts. Use them to find leads, then search by FI and F-terms, which work in any language.
- Screen with the drawings and abstract, confirm with the claims and examples, and check the current status in the history information.
- Do not judge infringement yourself. Take close findings to your IP department or a patent attorney.
- A patent search is never finished in one pass. Revisit your queries and search again at each development milestone.
FAQ
Can I search Japanese patents in English?
Yes, partly. In J-PlatPat's English interface, choosing "English text" searches Patent Abstracts of Japan (PAJ), which are English abstracts of unexamined Japanese applications. It does not search the full Japanese text. For a thorough search, combine English keywords with FI and F-term classification codes, which match documents regardless of language.
Does J-PlatPat translate Japanese patents into English?
Yes. The English interface displays machine-translated text, and JPO training material (2016) says claims and descriptions can be machine-translated for publications from 1993 onward. Use machine translation to understand the technology, and have the original Japanese checked by your IP staff or a translator before relying on the exact wording of the claims.
What is an F-term in a Japanese patent?
An F-term is a Japan-specific classification code that tags a document with technical features such as purpose, structure, material, or application. It has nine characters: a five-character theme code, a two-character viewpoint, and a two-digit number (for example, 4F050AA01). Searching by F-term finds Japanese documents whatever words they use.
Why can't I find a patent application filed last year?
Japanese applications are generally published 18 months after the filing date. Until then, they generally do not appear in J-PlatPat or other public databases, so filings from roughly the last year and a half are invisible to a search.
If my J-PlatPat search finds nothing, am I free to make the product?
No. A search that finds nothing shows only that your queries found nothing. Freedom to operate depends on how the claims of live patents are interpreted, and it covers each country where you make or sell the product. Have a patent attorney make that call.
Sources
- J-PlatPat functions and procedures (English): INPIT, J-PlatPat Operation Manual (keyword search, classification search with PMGS, number search, search tips, FI and F-terms)
- Search screen items, English text and PAJ, wildcards: J-PlatPat Help, "Patent/Utility Model Search"
- 3,000-hit limit and status column: J-PlatPat Help, "Search Result List (Patent/Utility Model Search)"
- Document display, PAJ link, search key button, mistranslation report: J-PlatPat Help, "Document Display"
- PMGS: J-PlatPat Help, "Patent/Utility Model Classification Search (PMGS)"
- History information tabs: J-PlatPat Help, history information inquiry (Japanese); operation manual: J-PlatPat Operation Manual (Japanese)
- PAJ coverage and machine translation coverage: JPO e-learning material on J-PlatPat (2016)
- Classification structure, keyword vs. classification coverage, history information tabs: INPIT, J-PlatPat beginner training text (May 2024, Japanese), INPIT, basic operations summary for patents and utility models (2023, Japanese)
- Search approach: INPIT training text for professional searchers, "Search approach and report writing" (Japanese)
- Patentability, examination request, publication, term, technical scope, advisory opinion: Patent Act of Japan, e-Gov (Japanese) (Articles 29, 48-3, 64, 67, 70, 71, 112)
- Utility model registration and term: Utility Model Act of Japan, e-Gov (Japanese) (Articles 14, 15)
- Duties of patent attorneys: Patent Attorney Act of Japan, e-Gov (Japanese) (Article 4)
- Pre-filing search, publication, and examination request timing: JPO, introduction to patent applications (Japanese)
- Types of patent searches: Japan Patent Attorneys Association, Kansai branch, Q&A on search methods (Japanese)
Original article in JapaneseThis guide is adapted from a MONOSCOPE article written for readers in Japan: 特許調査のやり方｜技術者がJ-PlatPatで先行技術を探す6ステップ
About the editor
MONOSCOPE EditorFOUNDER & EDITORSpent about ten years at a plant equipment maker and a plant engineering company, proposing, designing, and commissioning equipment, then moved into web marketing. Now a web consultant for B2B manufacturers, helping them explain their products and technology. Licensed in Japan as an Energy Manager and a Third-Class Chief Electrical Engineer.
Has run an engineering blog since 2017 (500+ articles) and a Japanese YouTube channel with about 20,000 subscribers. Each English guide is written from the Japanese shop-floor point of view and checked against the cited standards.
