Career Development

The number of the students of our school allowed to enter annually is around 30 to 40 and working students among them are about 20% to 30% and remaining students may need to find a job after graduation. Even attorneys or Bentishi are studying in our school to expand their knowledge and working skills in the field of IP.

Partial Exemption of Benrishi Examination in Japan

The Benrishi (Japanese version of the patent attorney) is a national qualification to represent clients to handle exclusively persecution of IP rights (patents, utility models , industrial designs and trademarks.) before the Japan Patent Office(JPO). The Benrishi examination is one of the hardest national examinations here in Japan like a bar examination. The Benrishi examination is conducted by the Government entrusted committee once a year. The examination consists of the three steps, the first in May, the second in July and the third and final one in October. The final passing rate is less than 7% and only about 400 new Benrishi were admitted in 2014. Fortunately we have a partial exemption of this examination which is the one of the benefits given to the graduate school. The conditions for this exemption are following;

1. as regards the first step examination, certain subjects of the examination are to be exempt for two years after graduation if students obtained certain number of the credits for specific subjects of IP laws and have approved by the JPO examining committee.
2. as regards the second step examination which is to prepare written answer to the specific questions regarding the IP right laws, the optional subjects among the examination is to be exempted if a student prepared a thesis in the predetermined area of the IP laws at a graduate school and has approved by the JPO examining committee.

Supporting Program for the Benrishi Examination

Our university has a unique supporting program for those students who are to take the Benrishi examination as follows;

1. offering extra curricula courses to prepare examinations,
2. guidance to the examinations and preparing materials for the examinations,
3. assisting the examination fees for the first step examination, and
4. awarding a special incentive pay for the final passers.

The professional school like a graduate school of IP is categorized as the "Graduate School" under the national regulation (the School Educational Ordinance,Art.65,Sec.2.) The professional school in Japan includes a graduate school of IP, a law school, an accounting school and others.

Developing Human Resources at a Graduate School of Intellectual Property

To revitalize our industry it is necessary to have professional human resources who utilize effectively the "intellectual creation cycle (cyclic activities from generating inventions, legal protection as IP rights to effective use of the rights)." Not only having the knowledge of the cycle, but actual useful skills are necessary as well. In Japan we have about 80,000 experts handling IP, but this number is not sufficient and it is required on a national scale that such IP experts be increased in a timely manner.

Responding to this national goal our university has started its Faculty of IP in 2003 and the Graduate School of IP in 2005 so as to create IP experts such as staff members and Benrishi working for companies, patent offices, universities or the like.

After the Graduation

In our industrialized society there are many fields which require IP experts with sufficient knowledge of IP and its skills. Like in a company personnel with awareness of IP are necessary at such divisions as IP, technology research, research / development, corporate planning and business operations. In patent offices and law firms Benrishi, attorneys and their staff members with IP knowledge are necessary. Also in many universities and research laboratories similarly IP handling personnel are currently needed. Our students graduated from the Graduate School of IP will find their jobs in such vast areas.

Our students based on their undergraduate education enhance their knowledge and skills in the IP area find their jobs in various positions of sectors as stated above. With our support over 90% students find successfully their jobs in the year of graduation. Their new jobs in recent years are various like in the following charts;