Comparison of characteristics of patent applications among regions in Japan where patent applications are increasing

In this paper, approximately 2,326,000 published patent applications applied between 2010 and 2019 by Japanese applicants in Japan were collected. 5 prefectures where patent applications much increased between 2010 and 2019 were identified, and their characteristics were analyzed. It was observed that they could be classified according to the diversity of the applicants and the IPC sections that contributed to the increase in patent applications. Based on these findings, this paper proposes a new model to classify regional patent application capability maturity. This model is useful for national and prefectural policy-makers to know the recommended policy to improve the maturity level of the target region and to assess the effectiveness of the implemented policy from the viewpoint of increases in patent applications.