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Painters, paint and signboard production workers

How to become a Building Painter

Also called: House painter, Residential painter, Building painter and decorator

Paints the outsides and insides of buildings to make them look good, protect them from damage and dirt caused by sun, rain, damp and air pollution, and make rooms comfortable.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. After starting, by improving your skills and gaining experience you can progress from painter to construction management engineer. Gaining the painting exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and other related licences and qualifications, serves as proof of skill. If you have business ability, you can also set up your own business. Painting needs preparation, groundwork and scheduling suited to the site and the properties of the paint, and involves working with other trades, so judgement and cooperation are needed. A certain level of fitness is needed to work in many different settings. Painting sometimes uses products containing substances harmful to people, such as thinners and ethylbenzene, so qualifications such as organic solvent work chief, poisonous and deleterious substances manager and hazardous materials engineer are an advantage.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Building Painter?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. After starting, by improving your skills and gaining experience you can progress from painter to construction management engineer. Gaining the painting exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and other related licences and qualifications, serves as proof of skill. If you have business ability, you can also set up your own business. Painting needs preparation, groundwork and scheduling suited to the site and the properties of the paint, and involves working with other trades, so judgement and cooperation are needed. A certain level of fitness is needed to work in many different settings. Painting sometimes uses products containing substances harmful to people, such as thinners and ethylbenzene, so qualifications such as organic solvent work chief, poisonous and deleterious substances manager and hazardous materials engineer are an advantage.

How much does a Building Painter earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥4,977,400 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Painters, paint and signboard production workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Building Painter?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 9% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定).

Will AI change the work of a Building Painter?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026