Takumi Koganei is a global affiliate visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) for 2023-24. Koganei joined the Japan Patent Office (JPO) in 2014 and has worked as a patent examiner, handling patent applications mainly in the field of mechanics, including chip mounters, conveyors, and drone delivery systems. In 2019, he held the role of Chief of the supporting startup section in the Policy Planning and Research Division, where he supported startups in developing their intellectual property strategy with the help of IP experts. In 2020, he transitioned to the Patent Examination Department. In this role, he conducted patent examinations related to therapeutic devices like stents, surgical drills, and ablation devices. Furthermore, he was a member of the team that designed the patent classification for surgical support robots. After that, he transferred to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) as an Assistant Manager. In this capacity,  he served in the development of startup support measures for Japan's medical device industry from 2021 to 2023.