The 2026 AIPPI China-Japan-Korea Trilateral Meeting was held in Guilin, China, from June 12 to 14, 2026 (Friday to Sunday), with China acting as the host country.

 

As one of the representatives sent by AIPPI・JAPAN, Makoto IWATA, Vice President and Patent Attorney of our firm, took the stage as a speaker and panelist. We would like to share a brief overview of this event.

 

AIPPI, an acronym for International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, is one of the leading global organizations in the field of intellectual property. Currently, it consists of approximately 8,000 IP professionals from over 110 countries.

 

The China-Japan-Korea Trilateral Meeting is one of AIPPI’s international conferences. It is an intellectual property conference led primarily by China, Japan, and Korea, and is hosted annually in rotation by these three countries. This year, approximately 180 IP professionals from the three countries attended the conference.

 

(Last year, in 2025, the conference was hosted by Korea and held in Gyeongju in June. Next year, in 2027, the conference is scheduled to be held in Kokura, Kyushu, in June, with Japan as the host country.)

 

In the AIPPI China-Japan-Korea Trilateral Meeting 2026, in addition to keynote speeches, the following four sessions were held:

 

Session 1:

AI & IP: Bridging Innovation, Creation and Protection

 

Session 2:

Overseas IP Filing Strategy and Planning

 

Session 3 (where our Vice President Makoto Iwata spoke):

Divisional Applications and Double Patenting

 

Session 4:

Updates on IP System in each Jurisdiction

 

During Session III, Mr. Iwata provided an overview of the Japanese systems regarding divisional applications and double patenting, presented practical issues, and outlined response strategies, while also making comparisons with the systems in China and Korea.

 

The exchange of opinions with practitioners from various countries provided a valuable opportunity to deepen the understanding of system operations and practical approaches.

 

Our firm will continue to actively participate in such international conferences to gather and share the latest information on global IP systems and practical trends. We are committed to utilizing this knowledge in our services to our clients with the aim of providing higher-quality support for domestic and international intellectual property matters.