We have conducted our research based on the following assumptions.
-The inventions must be those for which a patent application has been filed.
We do not make it a requirement that a patent be granted. Filing a patent application at a cost is considered as making an invention.
-The time period for invention is 20 years between the ages of 25 and 45.
We assumed that most inventors are approximately around this age, although both children and the elderly may invent.
- Utility models are excluded.
Although they should have been included, we excluded them because the number of cases is two orders of magnitude smaller than patent applications.
-Even if an invention is realized by one inventor A in collaboration with another inventor, this inventor A is deemed to have made one invention.
In conclusion, the average lifetime number of inventions by Japanese R&D personnel is about 23.
Percentage of Japanese who have been inventors
According to the JPO's published data,
-In 2016, the number of patent applications filed in Japan was 318,381, of which 260,244 were domestic applications.
-In 2017, there were 318,481 patent applications, of which 260,292 were domestic applications.
-In 2018, there were 313,567 applications, of which 253,630 were domestic applications.
Domestic applications are patent applications filed in Japan by applicants residing in Japan.
When domestic applications alone are counted, the average number of patent applications per year is about 260,000 (258,055).
Often, multiple inventors come up with ideas that result in a single patent application.
We looked at about 50 randomly selected cases and found that the average number of inventors per case was 2.94.
This seems to be roughly in line with our experience.
We therefore assumed that the average number of inventors engaged in a single patent application is 3.
From this, the total number of inventors engaged in approximately 260,000 patent applications (for one year) is estimated to be approximately 770,000 (774,165), three times the number of patent applications.
According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's total population is 125.99 million (January 2020).
Dividing the approximately 770,000 people engaged in invention by the total population of about 126 million, the figure is about 0.0061.
This means that 0.6% of the total Japanese population is engaged in invention creation per year.
In reality, however, the actual figure should be much lower, since only a few inventors must file many patent applications.
Lifetime average number of inventions by Japanese R&D personnel
According to a report published in 2008 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there are approximately 867,000 people engaged in R&D activities in Japan (hereinafter referred to as “R&D personnel”).
Since some R&D may be conducted as part of their work, it is assumed that the population of R&D personnel is approximately 676,000 when calculated on a full-time basis.
Since most of the patent applications in Japan are considered to be generated by R&D personnel, dividing the approximately 770,000 people engaged in inventions by the population of R&D personnel (approximately 680,000 people) yields a figure of approximately 1.15.
Therefore, each R&D person is engaged in about 1.15 patent applications (inventions) during a one-year period.
Assuming a 20-year invention period (25-45 years old), each R&D person will make approximately 22.9 inventions during his/her lifetime.
This means that, on average, Japanese R&D personnel are engaged in about 23 patent applications (contributing to the creation of about 23 inventions) during their lifetime. These 23 cases include inventions conceived jointly with other R&D personnel, as well as inventions conceived independently.
Hereafter, the average number of inventions during a lifetime estimated in this way will be referred to as the Invention Creation Index.
When calculated for the entire Japanese population (126 million people), not just R&D personnel, the Invention Creation Index was 0.12.
According to the above report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan's annual science and technology research expenditure is 19.504 trillion yen.
If the results of this science and technology research expenditure are reflected in approximately 260,000 patent applications, this means that approximately 76 million yen is spent on research and development for each patent application generated.
Next, we will conduct a similar survey, not of Japan as a whole, but of representative Japanese companies.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation is a giant corporation leading Japan. It has approximately 360,000 employees on a consolidated basis.
The number of patent applications filed by Toyota Motor Corporation was
- 6,114 in 2016
- 6,410 in 2017
- 6,985 in 2018
The three-year average is 6,503.
Calculated in the same way as above, Toyota's Invention Creation Index is approximately 1.08.
*6503 cases x 3 persons / 360,000 persons x 20 years ≒ 1.08
The Invention Creation Index would be higher if it were limited to R&D personnel, but since we do not know the number of R&D personnel in this company, we used the number of employees on a consolidated basis.
We also looked at Honda Motor Company (Honda) and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. as competitors of Toyota Motor Co,
- Honda: about 0.62
- Nissan: about 0.28
Keyence Corporation
Keyence Corporation is a very good company with outstanding operating profit margins. The number of employees on a consolidated basis is approximately 8,400.
The number of patent applications filed by Keyence was
- 106 in 2016
- 118 in 2017
- 101 in 2018
The three-year average is 108.
Keyence's Invention Creation Index was approximately 0.77.
*108 cases x 3 persons / 8400 persons x 20 years ≒ 0.77
We also looked at OMRON Corporation and FANUC Corporation as competitors to Keyence,
- OMRON: about 1.68
- FANUC: about 4.96
Sony Corporation
Finally, we looked at one of Japan's most famous companies, Sony Corporation. Sony Corporation has approximately 110,000 employees on a consolidated basis.
The number of patent applications filed by Sony Corporation was
- 1,530 in 2016
- 1,378 in 2017
- 779 in 2018
The three-year average is 1,229.
Sony's Invention Creation Index was approximately 0.67.
*1,229 cases x 3 persons / 110,000 persons x 20 years ≒ 0.67
We also looked at Hitachi, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation as competitors to Sony Corporation,
- Hitachi: about 0.34
- Mitsubishi Electric: about 1.67
The Invention Creation Index is a simple indicator that “the higher the number of patent applications filed by fewer people”.
The Invention Creation Index is affected by the IP budget. Some companies allow more and more patent applications to be filed, while others have higher hurdles for inventions to be filed for patents. It also does not take into account the quality of inventions.
Sometimes a subsidiary invention is filed in the name of the parent company, sometimes in the name of the subsidiary. A company's patent management policy also affects this index.
It cannot be said that the Invention Creation Index represents a company's ability to innovate (advancedness), but it is a helpful reference.
People who invent a lot
The result that Japanese R&D personnel file about 23 patent applications in their R&D life (Invention Creation Index = 23) gives us the impression that this is more than we expected.
Perhaps some talented inventors (high performers) are filing a large number of patent applications.
Some R&D personnel invent a lot, while others invent very little.
The world record holder for the number of patents granted is Shunpei Yamazaki, President of Semiconductor Energy Laboratory, Inc.
In Japan alone, he has filed 6,182 patent applications and has been granted 4,196 patent rights (as of July 2020).
Including foreign countries, he has obtained a total of over 11,000 patent rights.
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory is a company with a special business model that specializes in research and development and makes a profit from patent enforcement.
We found that the Semiconductor Energy Institute's Invention Creation Index was approximately 98.55.
Even for a company that specializes in research and development, the Invention Creation Index was still an astonishing number.
People with high invention productivity seem to have a knack for inventing.
There is a spiral: as they invent more, they get the hang of it, and as they get the hang of it, they invent more.