On January 26, 2026, RCLIP Co-Directors Masabumi Suzuki and Christoph Rademacher and RCLIP Fellow Roberto Carapeto hosted a high-level delegation of Brazilian congressmen at Waseda University. The session provided an overview of Japan’s institutional patent framework and traced the historical development of pharmaceutical patent protection in Japan.

The seminar began with a discussion of Japan’s key intellectual property institutions, including the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the judiciary, and the legislature. Particular attention was paid to the interplay between these actors in shaping both substantive patent law and sector-specific regulation. The role of advisory councils and academic experts in informing legislative and policy decisions was also highlighted.

The main focus of the presentation was on the evolution of Japan’s pharmaceutical patent regime, especially the transition from a reverse-engineering-friendly model—where product patents for pharmaceuticals were not available—to the adoption of full product patent protection in 1976. The discussion further covered reforms such as the introduction of patent term extensions, data exclusivity, and Japan’s unique approach to balancing innovation incentives with public health imperatives through universal insurance coverage, price regulation, and the compulsory licensing framework.

Comparative insights were drawn with Brazil’s IP landscape throughout the session. The delegation engaged in a lively Q&A on issues ranging from patent linkage and generic drug entry to the impact of judicial interpretation on pharmaceutical innovation.

The meeting reinforced RCLIP’s ongoing commitment to fostering international dialogue on intellectual property law and policy.