The Atarashift Blog
Insights for working in Japan
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
The Atarashift Blog
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
40.2% of major Japanese employers want N1 and 20.5% want N2, yet a third set no JLPT bar. What each level opens up, plus the visa rules.
What JLPT level do you need for a job in Japan? For most roles at Japanese companies, the realistic answer is N2 or higher. In a December 2024 survey of major employers, 40.2% asked foreign graduates for N1 and 20.5% asked for N2. That makes six in ten.
But the same survey found that 32.6% set no JLPT bar at all. Many of those are tech, research and global roles where English carries the work. So the right target depends less on Japan and more on the job you want.
This guide breaks down what employers actually ask for, what each level means at work, and where the JLPT affects your visa.
The clearest data comes from Caritas, a Japanese recruitment and HR research firm. In December 2024 it surveyed large employers about hiring international students who graduate from Japanese universities. 486 companies responded.
We analyzed the employer answers on JLPT entry requirements. Here is how they split.
One caveat before reading it: the survey covers large Japanese firms hiring graduates of Japanese universities. Mid-career hiring and foreign-owned firms may set lower bars.
Even so, three things stand out.
N1 is the single most common requirement. Four in ten employers ask for the top level. For a Japanese-company career track, N1 is the level that removes doubt.
The middle barely exists. Only 5.3% set their bar at N3 and 1.5% at N4. An employer that cares about the JLPT usually wants N2 or N1.
A third do not use the JLPT at all. That does not always mean Japanese is optional, since some employers judge it in the interview instead. But it does mean a test score is not the only way in.
Because it is usually held in Japanese. The same survey found that 87.9% of employers run every interview in Japanese, and 81.2% run their aptitude tests only in Japanese.
Employers also expect more once you start. At the offer stage, 47.5% of employers want business-advanced Japanese or better for humanities roles. After joining, that rises to 70.3%. For science and tech roles, it rises from 44.1% to 67.5%.
Your rivals are strong too. In Caritas's matching survey of 2026 graduates, 77.4% of international students job hunting in Japan already held N1. If you apply to Japanese firms with N2, most of them will outrank you on paper.
The JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) is the standard Japanese exam for non-native speakers, run by the Japan Foundation and JEES. It tests reading and listening, not speaking or writing. It has five levels, from N5 (easiest) to N1.
The official descriptions are broad. Here is how they tend to map to work, based on the survey data and visa rules above.
| Level | Official description (summary) | What it usually opens |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | Understands Japanese used in a wide range of situations | Most roles at Japanese companies, including client-facing and sales |
| N2 | Understands everyday Japanese and, to some degree, a wider range | Many office roles; the common minimum at Japanese firms |
| N3 | Understands everyday Japanese to some degree | Roles where the team works mainly in English |
| N4 | Understands basic Japanese | Specified Skilled Worker visas; some hospitality and care roles |
| N5 | Understands some basic Japanese | Rarely a hiring factor on its own |
The gap between N3 and N2 is bigger than it looks. N2 adds reading news articles and following fairly natural speech. That is roughly the level where you can handle internal email and meetings.
Often, yes, at least outside the most sought-after graduate schemes. An N2 holder meets the formal bar at about six in ten of the employers surveyed. That is the 27.3% that ask for N2 or lower, plus the 32.6% with no JLPT requirement.
N2 works best when you bring something that is hard to find. Engineers, data specialists and people with native English or another in-demand language are the strongest cases. Our guide to the most in-demand jobs in Japan shows where that demand sits.
N2 falls short in roles built on Japanese itself. Think sales to Japanese clients, HR, or roles writing formal documents. Those employers tend to expect N1 and polished keigo. Keigo is the formal register of Japanese used with customers and senior colleagues.
Yes, but in a narrower set of roles. The 32.6% of employers with no JLPT bar give you a starting point.
The strongest routes without high Japanese are these.
Our guide to working in Japan without speaking Japanese covers these routes in detail. Even there, some Japanese helps with daily life, and it widens your options for your next move.
Finding these roles is the hard part, since many job boards do not show the language needed. Platforms like Atarashift filter every role by Japanese level, English level and visa sponsorship, so you only see jobs that are actually open to you.
For most work visas, the JLPT is not a legal requirement. The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa, Japan's most common work status, has no set Japanese level. But the JLPT matters in five places.
1. Highly Skilled Professional points. The points system adds 15 points for N1 and 10 points for N2, or BJT scores of 480 and 400. Seventy points qualifies, so N1 can decide the case. Our guide to the Highly Skilled Professional visa explains the full table.
2. Designated Activities 46. This status lets graduates of Japanese universities take a much wider range of jobs, including customer service. It requires N1, or a BJT score of 480 or more.
3. Specified Skilled Worker (i). This route for fields such as care, food service and construction requires N4 or the Japan Foundation's basic test (JFT-Basic). A skills test is needed too.
4. Smaller sponsors since April 2026. From 15 April 2026, people hired from abroad by Category 3 and 4 companies into roles heavy on Japanese need CEFR B2. On a JLPT score report, that means N2 with at least 112 points, or any N1 pass. Our guide to Japan's four company categories explains which firms fall into those groups.
5. Language-based roles. For translation and interpreting work, or customer-facing jobs such as hotel front desks, the Immigration Services Agency asks for proof of language skill. A JLPT pass is the simplest proof.
Each level from N1 to N3 is scored out of 180. You must pass the total and also reach 19 out of 60 in every section.
| Level | Pass mark (out of 180) | Minimum per section (out of 60) |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | 100 | 19 |
| N2 | 90 | 19 |
| N3 | 95 | 19 |
Since December 2025, score reports also show a CEFR level for reference. The CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference, the A1 to C2 scale used for languages worldwide. The JLPT links it to your total score, so two people with the same pass can show different levels.
| JLPT pass | Total score | CEFR level shown |
|---|---|---|
| N1 | 142 or higher | C1 |
| N1 | 100 to 141 | B2 |
| N2 | 112 or higher | B2 |
| N2 | 90 to 111 | B1 |
| N3 | 104 or higher | B1 |
| N3 | 95 to 103 | A2 |
This matters for the April 2026 visa rule above. A bare N2 pass of 95 shows as B1, which falls short of B2. If you are aiming at a smaller employer, aim for 112 or more.
Harder than many learners think. The JLPT runs twice a year, and in 2026 the test dates are 5 July and 6 December. Some cities outside Japan hold only one of the two. Here are the worldwide results for December 2025.
| Level | Examinees | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| N1 | 121,233 | 36,124 | 29.8% |
| N2 | 232,364 | 76,712 | 33.0% |
| N3 | 249,389 | 77,767 | 31.2% |
N2 was the second most taken level, with nearly a quarter of a million examinees. When we analyzed the Japan and overseas tables separately, we found a large gap. Candidates sitting N2 inside Japan passed at just 25.4%, against 40.9% overseas.
The organisers do not explain the gap, and the two groups are different populations. Treat it as a reminder to book the level you can pass, not the level you want.
It helps you get an interview, not an offer. Two gaps catch many candidates.
The JLPT does not test speaking. You can pass N2 and still struggle in a live interview. Practise answering common questions aloud, in formal Japanese. Our guide to Japanese job interview questions lists what to prepare.
It does not test writing either. Many Japanese firms want a handwritten or typed rirekisho, the standard Japanese CV. Our guide to writing a Japanese resume walks through it.
Some employers prefer a second test. The BJT (Business Japanese Proficiency Test) is an exam that scores business Japanese on a scale up to 800. It is also recognised for Highly Skilled Professional points. If you already have N1 or N2, it is rarely worth adding.
Match your target to the path you want.
For most roles at Japanese companies, N2 or higher. In a December 2024 survey, 40.2% of major employers required N1 and 20.5% required N2. English-first tech and global roles often need no JLPT at all.
For a small share of roles. Only 5.3% of surveyed employers set their bar at N3. It works best for English-first roles where Japanese is a bonus, not a working language.
Usually not. The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa has no fixed Japanese level. Exceptions include Specified Skilled Worker (N4), Designated Activities 46 (N1), and some roles at smaller sponsors since April 2026.
N1 adds 15 points and N2 adds 10. BJT scores of 480 and 400 count the same. You need 70 points in total to qualify.
The JLPT is far more widely recognised by employers. The BJT focuses on business Japanese and counts for visa points too. Most candidates should take the JLPT first.
No. The organisers state that JLPT certificates never expire, including those from the old test before 2010. Some employers and schools set their own time limit, though, so check if yours is several years old.
It depends on your score. An N2 pass with 112 or more out of 180 shows as B2. A pass between 90 and 111 shows as B1.
It depends on your starting point and weekly study hours, and the JLPT organisers publish no official estimate. Learners who already read Chinese characters often move faster through the kanji.
Employer requirements come from Caritas's 2026 international student survey (August 2025). It reports the JLPT entry bar from the firm's December 2024 employer survey of 486 major companies. The interview language and business-level figures come from that employer report. The survey covers large Japanese firms hiring graduates of Japanese universities, so mid-career and foreign-owned employers may differ.
Pass rates are from the JLPT organisers' official results for December 2025. Pass marks are from the official page on scoring and results, the CEFR bands from the page on CEFR reference levels, and test dates and certificate validity from the JLPT FAQ. We calculated the worldwide pass rates by adding the Japan and overseas figures. Highly Skilled Professional points are from the Immigration Services Agency's list of qualifying Japanese tests. Designated Activities 46 rules are from ISA's page on Japanese university graduates, and the Specified Skilled Worker test rules from ISA's list of language tests.
The April 2026 changes are summarised by Fragomen. The Atarashift editorial team checked every figure against these sources. Data retrieved 29 September 2026.
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