Overview

Professional Qualifications in Japan

Professional qualifications are certifications recognized by the state based on law, allowing holders to exclusively perform specific specialized work. They are established across various fields including medical (doctors, pharmacists), legal (lawyers), financial (certified public accountants, tax accountants), technical (architects), educational (teachers), and labor (social insurance labor consultants). These qualifications possess high expertise and social credibility, and obtaining them often requires rigorous examinations and practical experience.

national qualification professional qualification doctor lawyer certified public accountant architect pharmacist teacher tax accountant social insurance labor consultant

code	slug	name	description	category	legalBasis	regulatoryBody	requirements_education	requirements_examination	requirements_experience	requirements_passRate
01	doctor	Medical Doctor	A national qualification that allows exclusive practice of medical procedures.	medical	Medical Practitioners' Act	Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare	Graduation from medical school (6-year program) or equivalent academic recognition	National Medical Examination (held around February each year)	Clinical training (2 years) required	Approximately 90% (for new medical school graduates)
02	pharmacist	Pharmacist	A national qualification for exclusive dispensing and sale of pharmaceuticals.	medical	Pharmacists Act	Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare	Graduation from pharmacy school (6-year program) or equivalent academic recognition	National Pharmacist Examination (held around February each year)	Practical training (hospital and pharmacy internships) required	Approximately 70% (overall), approximately 85% (new graduates)
03	lawyer	Lawyer (Attorney)	A national qualification for legal professionals providing legal consultation and litigation representation.	legal	Attorney Act	Japan Federation of Bar Associations	Graduation from law school (3 years for non-law graduates, 2 years for law graduates) or passing the preliminary examination	Bar Examination (essay and multiple-choice formats)	Judicial training (approximately 1 year) required	Approximately 20-30% (around 39% in 2023)
04	certified-public-accountant	Certified Public Accountant	A national qualification for financial auditing and accounting services.	financial	Certified Public Accountants Act	Financial Services Agency & Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants	No educational requirements (open to all)	Certified Public Accountant Examination (short-answer and essay formats)	3+ years practical experience + practical training + passing completion examination	Essay examination approximately 10-15%
05	tax-accountant	Tax Accountant	A national qualification for tax return preparation and tax consultation.	financial	Tax Accountant Act	National Tax Agency & Japan Federation of Certified Public Tax Accountants' Associations	University, junior college, or technical college graduation + 1+ social science subject (for tax subjects only)	Tax Accountant Examination (Bookkeeping, Financial Statements, Income Tax, Corporate Tax, Consumption Tax, etc.)	2+ years practical experience required after passing examination	Approximately 2-3% pass all 5 subjects (around 1.5% in 2024)
06	social-insurance-labor-consultant	Social Insurance Labor Consultant	A national qualification for labor management and social insurance procedures.	labor	Social Insurance Labor Consultant Act	Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare & National Federation of Social Insurance Labor Consultants Associations	University, junior college, or technical college graduation, or 62+ university credits	Social Insurance Labor Consultant Examination (held in August each year)	2+ years practical experience or completion of designated training required after examination	Approximately 5-9%
07	architect	Architect	A national qualification for building design and supervision.	technical	Architect Act	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism & Prefectures	Completion of specified credits in architecture-related subjects at university, junior college, or technical college	Architect Examination (written and design drafting examinations)	Practical experience required after examination (2-4 years depending on education)	First-Class approximately 15-25%, Second-Class approximately 20-30%
08	teacher	Teacher	A national qualification for engaging in school education.	education	Educational Personnel Certification Law	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology & Prefectural Boards of Education	Completion of required credits at universities, junior colleges, or graduate schools with teacher training programs	Teacher Employment Examination (conducted by prefectural boards of education)	Teaching practice (approximately 3 weeks) and care experience (7+ days) required	Teacher employment examinations have competition rates of several to dozens of times
09	judicial-scrivener	Judicial Scrivener	A national qualification for proxy registration application procedures.	legal	Judicial Scrivener Act	Ministry of Justice & Japan Federation of Judicial Scriveners Associations	No educational requirements (open to all)	Judicial Scrivener Examination (multiple-choice and essay formats)	Practical training (6+ months) required after examination	Approximately 2-4%
10	administrative-scrivener	Administrative Scrivener	A national qualification for preparing and submitting administrative documents.	legal	Administrative Scrivener Act	Ministry of Justice & Japan Federation of Administrative Scriveners Associations	No educational requirements (open to all)	Administrative Scrivener Examination (multiple-choice format)	No practical experience required (registration only after examination)	Approximately 10-15%

A list of professional qualifications recognized as national qualifications in Japan.