The Japan Patent Office (JPO) established the Policy Committee on Innovation and Intellectual Property (PCIIP) in December 2007 to discuss desirable Intellectual Property- policies (IP) for Japan.
Source: The Japan Patent Office

The PCIIP recommended the establishment of a new IP system for promoting innovation that keeps pace with globalization and technological development. In order for applicants to efficiently obtain patents worldwide, the JPO has been promoting work sharing among developed nations in the area of patent examination and promoting the provision of patent examination results to developing countries. For instance, the JPO has expanded the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) network and launched ?JP-FIRST? (JP-Fast Information Release Strategy). The JPO has also targeted the realization of more expeditious and effective patent examination while flexibly meeting various needs of applicants.

As one of the specific measures, the JPO has decided to establish the super accelerated examination system. In order to streamline the patent examination process, the JPO has been outsourcing a greater number of prior art searches and enhancing its utilization of information technology. A quality management system was established to maintain and improve the quality of patent examination.