Greetings from the Chairman of the Board of Directors

Since its establishment as an incorporated foundation in 1985, the Japan Industrial Property Rights Cooperation Center (JIPC) has contributed to the promotion of Japan as an intellectual property nation as a designated search organization under the Special Law* and as a registered search organization after the revision of the Law. Looking back, more than 20 years have passed since then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi declared Japan an "Intellectual Property Nation" as a national strategy in 2002. The Foundation has faced a variety of challenges, including the long-term goal of FA11 (11 months to first notice of examination) and the realization of the world's fastest and highest quality IP system. In response to these challenges, the Foundation has consistently responded to the social demand to support the foundation of an IP nation by steadily carrying out the core tasks indispensable for the establishment of an IP system, such as prior art searches for patent applications and the assignment of patent classifications.

In recent years, the environment surrounding intellectual property and industry, including the expertise required for the Foundation's work, has changed dramatically as technology, as typified by generative AI, has developed at a remarkable pace and the content of inventions has become more sophisticated and complex every day. In order to respond to these changes and take advantage of the opportunity for development, in 2025, the year of our 40th anniversary, we have formulated a new management philosophy that redefines our raison d'etre of "contributing to the intellectual property nation". This new management philosophy clearly defines "supporting innovation through the visualization of IP" and also places emphasis on "human resources," which are the root of IPCC's value creation. The Foundation employs a large number of experts with abundant knowledge and practical experience who have been active as engineers and researchers for many years in major Japanese companies, and has established a specialized system to handle all kinds of technologies, and performs tasks such as prior art research and classification assignment. We will continue to work as a professional group that "walks hand in hand with the development of technology" so that we can respond to the new demands of the times.

In addition to our services for the JPO, we also provide "IPCC Search Services" as a corporate service to further promote our contribution to the nation as an intellectual property powerhouse. In addition to "Specific Registration Searches", we also provide "Prior Art Searches" such as pre-filing searches and "Searches for Invalidated Materials, etc.". We are pleased to offer the experience and know-how we have accumulated over the years to a wide range of companies, universities, and other organizations.

All of our officers and employees will continue to devote themselves to their duties as an indispensable IP infrastructure for the establishment of an IP system, and we ask for your continued understanding of our activities and your continued support and cooperation.

*Act on Special Exceptions to Procedures, etc. Concerning Industrial Property Rights