That bond came into focus again this year with the Intellectual Property Achievement Awards.
Established in 1987 by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the awards honor individuals who have helped advance, broaden, and promote Japan’s intellectual property system, as well as companies that put IP rights to active use. It includes commendations from both the minister and the JPO commissioner.
For fiscal 2027 ending March 2027, Toyota was selected for the JPO Commissioner’s Award in the design category for companies making effective use of intellectual property. It was the first automaker to earn the distinction.
・Designs such as Lexus’s “Spindle Body” and Toyota’s “Hammerhead” gave each brand a consistent visual language and elevated that language into brand identity.
・Toyota secured protection for that work globally through design rights, while also obtaining trademarks, patents, and other forms of IP protection.
・Management, R&D, and the IP side have moved as one in putting designs, patents, and trademarks to work.
Those efforts helped bring Toyota the award.
To understand what sits behind it, we spoke with Simon Humphries, Toyota’s Chief Branding Officer (CBO) and head of design, as well as Yoshikazu Jikuhara and Hiroki Hattori of the company’s Intellectual Property Division, who work each day to protect those rights.
Together, they reflected on the impact of Toyota’s Group Vision and brand reconstruction on design, and on what it takes to protect intellectual property in a meaningful way.
