The increasing balance in technology trade with Japan has resulted in a gradual shift in the requirements of the Japanese IP system and patents system.
When Japan was a developing nation, a patents system which enabled trade with more technologically advanced nations, promoted diffusion and also encouraged indigenous invention was essential
As more recent research by Cohen et al. has shown, the diffusive effect of the Japanese patent system is still important. However, at the same time as Japan has moved from being an importer towards being an exporter of technology, the importance of the protective role of a patent system has increased.