2013.12.12
Global Patent Prosecution Highway will be started as of January 2014
The JPO and other 12 intellectual property offices, namely, the U.S., the ROK, the UK, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Canada, Spain, the Nordic Patent Institute (NPI), Norway, Portugal, and Australia, agreed to start the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (GPPH) as of January 6, 2014. Applicants who file applications with IP offices participating in the GPPH framework can take advantage of all of the Japanese PPH programs (i.e., PPH, PCT-PPH, and PPH MOTTAINAI).
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2013/1101_07.html
http://www.jpo.go.jp/ppph-portal/globalpph.htm