A strict, fast and predictable register. Most problems here come from filing only the Latin form of a brand that Japanese customers will read and speak differently.
Design protection here is long and strong, and partial designs let you claim one component of a product. Japanese examiners read claims literally, so a translated US claim set usually needs redrafting rather than translating.
A transliteration is examined on its own. If your brand will be spoken in Japan — and it will — budget for the katakana filing alongside the Latin one.
Where you are already using the mark, or have filed abroad, examination can be sped up substantially. Useful when a launch date is fixed.
Suggestive marks that sail through elsewhere draw objections here. Clear the risk at the search stage, not after filing.
Applicants outside Japan file through a local representative. That is our side of the work — you deal with us only.