Are Japanese stamps public domain?

It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Japanese stamps issued before 1946 are public domain and later stamps are not. Stamps count as works made in the name of an organization, and for issues through 1945 the 50-year Japanese term ended before the United States restored foreign copyrights on January 1, 1996.

Are Japanese stamps from the 1950s public domain?

No. Japanese stamps from 1946 through 1967 fell free in Japan when their 50-year term as works made in the name of an organization ran out, but the United States restored their copyright under the URAA. In the archive's reading only Japanese stamps issued before 1946 are public domain.

Will the 1946 cutoff for Japanese stamps change?

No. The 1946 line for Japanese stamps is a fixed year, not a term counted from the date of issue, and it marks the stamps whose 50-year Japanese term ended before American copyright restoration on January 1, 1996. The archive does not calculate when stamps issued in 1946 or later might become free.

Are Japanese occupation stamps public domain?

It is an open question. Wikimedia Commons' note on Japanese stamps does not address the overprints and new designs Japan issued for territories it occupied in World War II, or the stamps of its post offices in China and Korea.

Japan

Are Japan stamps public domain?

Japanese stamps issued before 1946 are public domain, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons. Commons treats Japanese stamps as works made in the name of an organization and rejects later issues, because of American copyright restoration or Japan's 70-year term. The 1946 cutoff is a fixed date and does not move with the calendar.

Why 1946?

Commons treats stamps as organizational works, which Japanese law protected for 50 years after publication until an amendment in force from December 30, 2018 extended terms still running on that day to 70 years.¹² A stamp issued in 1945 or earlier was therefore free in Japan before January 1, 1996, the date the United States restored copyright in foreign works under the URAA, so Commons accepts it as free in both countries.¹ Stamps from 1946 through 1967 fell free in Japan but had their American copyright restored, and later stamps are still protected in Japan.¹² Commons' license tag for organizational works says the same: a published work typically needs to date from before 1946 to be free in the United States.²

Postal history and copyright

Japan issued its first stamps in April 1871, a set of four with a design of two dragons.³ It ran post offices in China from 1876 to 1922 and in Korea from 1876 to 1905, with stamps for their use, and during World War II it issued overprints and new designs for the territories it occupied.³ Commons' note on Japanese stamps does not address the stamps of the offices abroad or the occupation issues, and the archive treats their status as open. Commons also warns that a stamp can be an exception, for example a derivative of an individual's work.¹

References 3

↑ Copyright rules for Japan. Wikimedia Commons, September 29, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Wikimedia Commons license tag (Japan). Wikimedia Commons, March 9, 2023. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Japan. Wikipedia, June 20, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.

Copyright law in Japan

Japan’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.

Named designer: 70 years after the designer’s death
Anonymous: 70 years from issue
Before 2018: 50 years after the designer’s death; 50 years from issue for an anonymous stamp.
Older stamps: A stamp already in the public domain stayed there when the term was extended.
Note: Stamps are treated as organizational works, protected 70 years from issue. Only stamps issued before 1946 are treated as free.

Historical issuers read under this law: Brunei (Japanese Occupation), Burma (Japanese Occupation), Central China (Japanese Occupation), China (Japanese Post Offices), Honan (Japanese Occupation), Hong Kong (Japanese Occupation), Hopei (Japanese Occupation), Inner Mongolia (Japanese Occupation), Japan (British Commonwealth Occupation), Japan (British Post Offices), Japan (French Post Offices), Japanese Naval Control Area, Japanese post in occupied China, Japanese Taiwan (Formosa), Java (Japanese Occupation), Kelantan (Japanese Occupation), Korea (Japanese Post Offices), Kwangtung (Japanese Occupation), Malaya (Japanese Occupation), Mengkiang (Japanese Occupation), Nangking and Shanghai (Japanese Occupation), North Borneo (Japanese Occupation), North China (Japanese Occupation), Philippines (Japanese Occupation), Ryukyu Islands, Sarawak (Japanese Occupation), Shansi (Japanese Occupation), Shantung (Japanese Occupation), South China (Japanese Occupation), Sumatra (Japanese Occupation), Supeh (Japanese Occupation), US Post Offices in Japan.

Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Japan, revision 1281496969, checked October 8, 2026

The rule by period

PeriodRule

Before 1946Public domain: issued before 1946.Commons accepts these as free in Japan and the United States, because their 50-year term in Japan ended before American copyright restoration on January 1, 1996.

From 1946Copyrighted: issued in or after 1946.Commons rejects these: issues through 1967 had their American copyright restored, and later issues are still protected in Japan.

Japan stamps and the public domain: questions

Are Japanese stamps public domain?: It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Japanese stamps issued before 1946 are public domain and later stamps are not. Stamps count as works made in the name of an organization, and for issues through 1945 the 50-year Japanese term ended before the United States restored foreign copyrights on January 1, 1996.
Are Japanese stamps from the 1950s public domain?: No. Japanese stamps from 1946 through 1967 fell free in Japan when their 50-year term as works made in the name of an organization ran out, but the United States restored their copyright under the URAA. In the archive's reading only Japanese stamps issued before 1946 are public domain.
Will the 1946 cutoff for Japanese stamps change?: No. The 1946 line for Japanese stamps is a fixed year, not a term counted from the date of issue, and it marks the stamps whose 50-year Japanese term ended before American copyright restoration on January 1, 1996. The archive does not calculate when stamps issued in 1946 or later might become free.
Are Japanese occupation stamps public domain?: It is an open question. Wikimedia Commons' note on Japanese stamps does not address the overprints and new designs Japan issued for territories it occupied in World War II, or the stamps of its post offices in China and Korea.