Education

University of Electro-Communications (B.E., 1957)

Practice Areas

Prosecution and enforcement, for domestic and foreign clients, of patents in various technical fields including electric, electronics and communications, as well as trademarks; patent search; litigation; opinion work; counselling on intellectual properties.

Career

Mr. Yamakawa worked for Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd., a Japanese telecommunication equipment manufacturer, in its patent department taking care of prosecuting patents, licensing and patent disputes. After 10 years working in the company, Mr. Yamakawa established his patent law firm, YAMAKAWA International Patent Office, in Tokyo in 1967. Since then he has been working for his domestic and foreign clients as their representative, to protect their inventions and trademarks in Japan.

Mr. Yamakawa was appointed as a member of government committees such as Industrial Structure Council and Industrial Property Council, and also acted as visiting Lecturer at University of Electro-Communications (intellectual property) in 1980-1998, Vice President of JPAA in 1986, President of JPAA in 1992, Director General of Japan Industrial Property Arbitrarion Center (now, Japan Intellectual Property Arbitrarion Center) in 1998, Director of Training Institute of JPAA in 2000-2001, and Auditor of JPAA in 2010-2011 (Chief Auditor, 2011).

He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck in 2004.

Mr. Masaki Yamakawa passed away in November 2025 at the age of 91.