Two patent attorneys, Yuki Jono and Jun Aoyama, have launched Aoyama Jono Patent & Law Firm in Tokyo, a new firm built specifically to address a shortage of legal professionals in Japan who can handle AI-related patent prosecution. The firm opens with a team of six and a concentration of former patent examiners that Jono said no other Japanese firm can match.
Founding team combines legal and manufacturing experience
Both partners are members of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association. Jono serves as managing partner and representative attorney-at-law, holding dual qualifications as both an attorney-at-law (bengoshi) and a patent attorney (benrishi). Aoyama is a patent attorney and the firm's representative patent attorney. Jono joins from Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, where he spent more than a year as a lawyer. Aoyama previously served as president and representative director of Kaneko Sangyo, a Japanese manufacturer of industrial valves and safety devices.
Filling a gap in AI patent expertise
The decision to start the firm came from a clear market gap. "Japan currently has very few lawyers and patent attorneys equipped to handle sophisticated AI-related patent prosecution," Jono said. "I am one of only 10 attorneys in the country who previously served as a patent examiner, and we founded the firm precisely to meet that need. Around 80% of our professionals are former examiners - a proportion unmatched by any other firm in Japan."
The timing reflects the speed at which AI is spreading through industry. "We chose this moment to launch because AI is developing and permeating society at such a pace that the demand for genuinely specialised advice in the field has never been greater," Jono said. The firm plans to cover the full cycle of AI-related intellectual property, from prosecution through to monetisation and commercial exploitation of resulting rights. Corporate and regulatory matters involving AI and other emerging technologies will form another focus area. For patent agents looking to build expertise in this domain, structured learning paths like AI for Patent Agents offer targeted training on the intersection of AI and patent practice.
Growth plans and near-term goals
The firm currently operates with six professionals but intends to expand. "Our aim is to consolidate our position as Japan's only patent and law firm dedicated to AI, principally by recruiting further former patent examiners," Jono said. Over the next 12 months, the priority is brand recognition in a specific niche. Jono wants Aoyama Jono "to be the first name that comes to mind whenever anyone in the market thinks of AI patent filings."
Longer-term, Jono's ambition is to build a first-rank firm for AI and frontier technologies, staffed by former examiners and professionals with strong scientific and engineering backgrounds. The broader trend of AI reshaping legal work extends well beyond patent prosecution, and resources covering AI for Legal professionals are increasingly relevant as firms adapt to these technologies.
Why this matters for legal professionals
Aoyama Jono Patent & Law Firm is betting that deep technical examination experience - not just legal credentials - will become the differentiator in AI patent work. For in-house counsel and law firm partners tracking the competitive landscape, the launch signals that AI patent prosecution is maturing into a distinct practice area requiring specialised teams. The firm's recruitment strategy, centred on former examiners, points to a hiring model that other firms may attempt to replicate as AI-related filings grow.
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