On August 14, 1885, the first Japanese patent was issued. It was to Zuisho Hotta for his formulation of an anticorrosive paint for ship hulls.

Actually, the first seven Japanese patents under the Patent Monopoly Act were granted on August 14, 1885. Takabayashi Kenzo obtained Patent No. 2–4 for tea processing machines.

After second world war, Japan became a major patent filing country. Even today, Japan is the third biggest patent filing country and the biggest patent granting country. Every year, 2,250 patent applications are filed per million population in Japan.

Sources: Tdayinsci

Zuisho Hotta also filed a US patent (shown below) for his anticorrosive paint.

US916869