Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in Japan
Japan: Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies was 97 patents in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in Japan, 2000–2025
Source: IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in patents.
Analysis
Japan recorded 97 patents for annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 71.4% on the previous year and down 96.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in Japan peaked at 5,415 patents in 2012 and was at its lowest, 97 patents, in 2025.
Japan ranks 4th of 64 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in Japan, year by year
| Year | patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,736 patents | — |
| 2001 | 1,554 patents | -10.5% |
| 2002 | 1,438 patents | -7.5% |
| 2003 | 1,500 patents | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 1,616 patents | +7.7% |
| 2005 | 1,537 patents | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 1,602 patents | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 1,871 patents | +16.8% |
| 2008 | 2,411 patents | +28.9% |
| 2009 | 3,763 patents | +56.1% |
| 2010 | 4,738 patents | +25.9% |
| 2011 | 5,129 patents | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 5,415 patents | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 4,307 patents | -20.5% |
| 2014 | 3,698 patents | -14.1% |
| 2015 | 3,160 patents | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 2,762 patents | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 2,475 patents | -10.4% |
| 2018 | 2,156 patents | -12.9% |
| 2019 | 1,822 patents | -15.5% |
| 2020 | 1,557 patents | -14.5% |
| 2021 | 1,386 patents | -11.0% |
| 2022 | 1,066 patents | -23.1% |
| 2023 | 866 patents | -18.8% |
| 2024 | 339 patents | -60.9% |
| 2025 | 97 patents | -71.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 97 patents is above the median for high income countries, which is 3 patents, 32.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Japan's 97 patents is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10 patents, 9.7× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,903 patents | 1,438 patents | 3,763 patents | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,566 patents | 1,822 patents | 5,415 patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 885.17 patents | 97 patents | 1,557 patents | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More energy & mining data for Japan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.7535 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 19.6% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 7.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in Japan?
- Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in Japan was 97 patents in 2025, according to IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 5,415 patents in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 97 patents in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies?
- Japan ranks 4th out of 64 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 96.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data only includes energy source technologies, and excludes technologies such as energy storage or transport. Figures in recent years are subject to a time lag; submitted patents may not yet be reflected in the data.