As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2005
                                                                Registration No.
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549
                            ________________________

                                    FORM S-8
                          REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                            ________________________

                           KABUSHIKI KAISHA ADVANTEST
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

                              ADVANTEST CORPORATION
                 (Translation of Registrant's name into English)

                  Japan                                        Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of                               (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                               Identification No.)

                        Shin-Marunouchi Center Building
                                1-6-2 Marunouchi,
                           Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005
                                      Japan
              (Address of Registrant's Principal Executive Offices)

           THE ADVANTEST CORPORATION INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION PLAN 2004
                            (Full title of the plan)
                            ________________________

                   Advantest America Corporation (Holding Co.)
                              3201 Scott Boulevard
                          Santa Clara, California 95054
                         Attention: Corporate Secretary
                                 (408) 988-7700
            (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                                 With a copy to:

                                 Masahisa Ikeda
                               Shearman & Sterling
                             Fukoku Seimei Building
                            2-2 Uchisaiwaicho 2-chome
                           Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0011
                                      Japan
                                 81-3-5251-1601





                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


=================================================================================================
Title of Securities                  Amount to be     Proposed        Proposed
  to be Registered                  Registered (2)     Maximum         Maximum       Amount of
                                                    Offering Price    Aggregate    Registration
                                                     per Share (3)  Offering Price      Fee
=================================================================================================
                                                                            
Common Stock of Registrant (1)         121,000           $69.44           $8,402,240    $988.94
 ===================================================================================================================


   (1)    Each share of the Registrant's common stock (the "Common Stock")
          issuable in the United States pursuant to the Rules of the Advantest
          Corporation Incentive Stock Option Plan 2004 (the "Plan") will be
          represented by four (4) American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") on deposit
          with JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly known as Morgan Guaranty Trust
          Company of New York), as depositary bank (the "Depositary"). Each ADS
          will be evidenced by one (1) American Depositary Receipt issued by the
          Depositary. A separate Registration Statement on Form F-6
          (Registration No. 333-13886) was filed with the Securities and
          Exchange Commission (the "Commission") on September 5, 2001 for the
          registration of ADSs issuable upon deposit of shares of Common Stock.

   (2)    Pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
          (the "Securities Act"), there is also being registered such number of
          shares of Common Stock that may become available for issuance under
          the Plan in the event of certain changes in the outstanding shares of
          Common Stock, including reorganizations, mergers, recapitalizations,
          restructurings, stock dividends, stock splits, reverse stock splits
          and reclassifications.

   (3)    Estimated in accordance with Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act
          solely for the purpose of determining the registration fee. The
          exercise price is fixed in Japanese Yen. For purposes of calculating
          the filing fee, the exercise price of 7,464 yen per share of Common
          Stock has been converted to U.S. Dollars using the noon buying rate in
          New York, New York for cable transfers in Yen as certified for customs
          purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank on March 29, 2005.


                                       2





                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

          The documents containing the information specified in Part I, Items 1
and 2, will be delivered to employees in accordance with the "Note" to Part I of
Form S-8 and Rule 428 of the Securities Act.


                                       3





                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.   Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
          ---------------------------------------

          The following documents filed with the Commission are incorporated by
reference as of their respective dates into this Registration Statement and
shall be deemed a part hereof:

          (i)     the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the
                  Commission on June 29, 2004;

          (ii)    the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on March 30, 2005;

          (iii)   the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on March 11, 2005;

          (iv)    the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on February 28, 2005;

          (v)     the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on February 22, 2005;

          (vi)    the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on January 27, 2005;

          (vii)   the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on December 15, 2004;

          (viii)  the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on December 1, 2004;

          (ix)    the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on October 27, 2004;

          (x)     the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on July 28, 2004;

          (xi)    the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on July 1, 2004;

          (xii)   the Registrant's Report on Form 6-F filed with the Commission
                  on June 29, 2004;


                                       4





          (xiii)  the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on June 25, 2004;

          (xiv)   the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on May 28, 2004;

          (xv)    the Registrant's Report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission
                  on April 26, 2004; and

          (xvi)   the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 20-F filed
                  with the Commission on September 4, 2001, which includes a
                  description of the Common Stock (as represented by American
                  Depositary Shares) of the Registrant.

          All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"Exchange Act"), subsequent to the date of the filing hereof and prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which
indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all
securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference
in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing
of such documents.

          Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be
modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent
that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document
which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall
not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Registration Statement.

Item 4.   Description of Securities.
          -------------------------

          Not applicable.

Item 5.   Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.
          --------------------------------------

          Not applicable.


                                       5





Item 6.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
          -----------------------------------------

          Articles 254 and 280 of the Commercial Code of Japan (the "Commercial
Code") make the provisions of Section 10, Chapter 2, Book III of the Civil Code
of Japan applicable to the relationships between the Registrant and its
directors and corporate auditors, respectively. Section 10, among other things,
provides in effect that:

          (1)  Any director or corporate auditor of a company may demand advance
               payment of expenses which are considered necessary for the
               management of the affairs of such company entrusted to such
               director or corporate auditor;

          (2)  If a director or corporate auditor of a company has defrayed any
               expenses which are considered necessary for the management of the
               affairs of such company entrusted to such director or corporate
               auditor, the director or corporate auditor may demand
               reimbursement therefor and interest thereon after the date of
               payment from the company;

          (3)  If a director or corporate auditor has assumed an obligation
               necessary for the management of affairs entrusted to such
               director or corporate auditor, the director or corporate auditor
               may require the company to perform it in such director's or
               corporate auditor's place or, if it is not due, to furnish
               adequate security; and

          (4)  If a director or corporate auditor, without any fault on such
               director's or corporate auditor's part, sustains damage through
               the management of the affairs entrusted to such director or
               corporate auditor, the director or corporate auditor may demand
               compensation therefor from the company.

          Under Article 279-2 of the Commercial Code, a company may not refuse a
demand from a corporate auditor referred to in subparagraphs (1) through (3)
above unless the company establishes that the relevant expense or obligation was
or is not necessary for the performance of the corporate auditor's duties.

          Pursuant to Article 266 of the Commercial Code and to the extent
permitted by law and regulations, the Registrant may, by resolution of its board
of directors, exempt the liabilities of its directors (including persons who
have previously served as the Registrant's directors). Pursuant to Article 280
of the Commercial Code and to the extent permitted by law and regulations, the
Registrant may, by resolution of its board of directors, exempt the liabilities
of its corporate auditors (including persons who have previously served as the
Registrant's corporate auditors).

          The Registrant maintains a directors' insurance policy to insure its
directors and corporate auditors against liability for actions or omissions
occurring in their capacity as director or corporate auditor, subject to certain
exclusions and limitations.


                                       6





Item 7.   Exemption from Registration Claimed.
          -----------------------------------

          Not applicable.

Item 8.   Exhibits.
          --------

          See Exhibit list on page 12 of this Registration Statement.

Item 9.   Undertakings.
          ------------

          (a)  The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

               (1)  To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
                    being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration
                    Statement:

                    (i)    To include any prospectus required by Section
                           10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

                    (ii)   To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
                           arising after the effective date of this Registration
                           Statement (or the most recent post-effective
                           amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
                           aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
                           information set forth in the Registration Statement;
                           and

                    (iii)  To include any material information with respect to
                           the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in
                           this Registration Statement or any material change to
                           such information in this Registration Statement;


                    provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii)
                    of this section do not apply if the information required to
                    be in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is
                    contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the
                    Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
                    of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference into
                    this Registration Statement;

               (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
                    Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be
                    deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
                    securities offered therein, and the offering of such
                    securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
                    bona fide offering thereof; and

               (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
                    amendment any of the securities being registered which
                    remain unsold at the termination of the offering.


          (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report


                                       7





pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

          (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against
public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the
final adjudication of such issue.


                                       8





                                   SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo of Japan on this 30th day of March, 2005.



                             ADVANTEST CORPORATION


                             By:  /s/ Hitoshi Owada
                                  ----------------------------------------------
                                  Name:  Hitoshi Owada
                                  Title: Director and Managing Executive Officer


                                       9





                            SPECIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY

          KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned
constitutes and appoints Hitoshi Owada as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact
and agent with full powers of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in
his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement,
and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act,
and to file the same with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection
therewith, with the Commission, granting such attorney-in-fact and agent, full
power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and
necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully and to all intents and
purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all
that such attorney-in-fact and agent may lawfully do or cause to be done by
virtue hereof.

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration
Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the indicated
capacities on March 30, 2005.

Signature                                       Capacity
---------                                       --------

/s/ Hiroshi Oura
-------------------------
Hiroshi Oura                            Chairman of the Board and CEO
                                        (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Shinpei Takeshita
-------------------------
Shinpei Takeshita                       Vice Chairman of the Board


/s/ Toshio Maruyama
-------------------------
Toshio Maruyama                         President and COO


/s/ Kiyoshi Miyasaka
-------------------------
Kiyoshi Miyasaka                        Director and Senior Executive Officer


/s/ Junji Nishiura
-------------------------
Junji Nishiura                          Director and Senior Executive Officer


/s/ Hiroji Agata
-------------------------
Hiroji Agata                            Director and Senior Executive Officer


/s/ Hitoshi Owada
-------------------------
Hitoshi Owada                           Director and Managing Executive Officer
                                        (Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Takashi Tokuno
-------------------------
Takashi Tokuno                          Director and Managing Executive Officer


                                       10





            SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRANT

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United
States of Advantest Corporation has signed this Registration Statement or
amendment thereto in Santa Clara, California, on March 30, 2005.

                               Advantest America Corporation (Holding Co.)


                               By: /s/ Keith Hardwick
                                   --------------------------
                                   Name:  Keith Hardwick
                                   Title: Corporate Secretary


                                       11





                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


    Exhibit
    Number                                Description
    -------                               -----------

     4.1            Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the
                    Registrant (English Translation) (incorporated by reference
                    herein to the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 20-F (No.
                    001-15236), filed June 29, 2004).

     4.2            Regulations of the Board of Directors of the Registrant
                    (English Translation) (incorporated by reference herein to
                    the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 20-F (No. 001-15236),
                    filed June 29, 2004).

     4.3            Share Handling Regulations of the Registrant (English
                    Translation) (incorporated by reference herein to the
                    Registrant's Annual Report on Form 20-F (No. 001-15236),
                    filed June 29, 2004).

     4.4            Form of Deposit Agreement, dated as of September 14, 2001,
                    among Advantest Corporation, JPMorgan Chase Bank (formerly
                    known as Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York), as
                    depositary, and all holders from time to time of American
                    Depositary Receipts issued thereunder, including the form of
                    American Depositary Receipt attached thereto as Exhibit A
                    (incorporated by reference herein to Exhibit A to the
                    Registrant's Registration Statement on Form F-6
                    (Registration No. 333-13886)).

     4.5*           Rules of the Advantest Corporation Incentive Stock Option
                    Plan 2004.

      5*            Opinion of Nishimura & Partners regarding the legality of
                    securities being offered hereby.

     23.1*          Consent of KPMG AZSA & Co.

     23.2*          Consent of Nishimura & Partners (contained in Exhibit 5).

      24*           Powers of Attorney (included on signature page to this
                    Registration Statement).

________________

* Filed herewith.


                                       12