Peernovo
Undertakers, crematorium workers

How to become a Funeral Director

Also called: Funeral ceremony assistant, Funeral decorator

Plans funerals, sets up the venue and runs, hosts and guides the ceremony.

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 qualification is needed to work as funeral staff, but you cannot use the title of funeral director unless you pass the funeral director skills examination recognised by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Large funeral companies hold regular graduate recruitment, but most hiring is mid-career, often advertised through Hello Work (public employment service) and job advertisements. There are institutions and specialist schools that train funeral directors, but people usually build practical experience as employees of a funeral company, improve their skills, knowledge and ability through in-house training and guidance from senior staff and managers, and aim to become a funeral director overseeing the whole funeral. It is said to take usually two to three years to gain the skills, knowledge and ability to manage and oversee funerals in general, and several more years to be able to plan, run and manage large funerals such as company or organisation funerals. Funerals are solemn occasions held in grief, so the words and actions of funeral staff greatly affect whether a funeral goes well. Calm, patience, sincerity, a neat appearance and reliability are therefore important in the job. You also need to make quick decisions when something unexpected happens and give staff clear instructions. Wide knowledge and experience are needed too, for example how funeral arrangements differ between religious denominations. There is a lot of standing work and some ceremonies are long, so a certain level of fitness is needed.

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

Related jobs

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Funeral Director?

No particular education or qualification is needed to work as funeral staff, but you cannot use the title of funeral director unless you pass the funeral director skills examination recognised by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Large funeral companies hold regular graduate recruitment, but most hiring is mid-career, often advertised through Hello Work (public employment service) and job advertisements. There are institutions and specialist schools that train funeral directors, but people usually build practical experience as employees of a funeral company, improve their skills, knowledge and ability through in-house training and guidance from senior staff and managers, and aim to become a funeral director overseeing the whole funeral. It is said to take usually two to three years to gain the skills, knowledge and ability to manage and oversee funerals in general, and several more years to be able to plan, run and manage large funerals such as company or organisation funerals. Funerals are solemn occasions held in grief, so the words and actions of funeral staff greatly affect whether a funeral goes well. Calm, patience, sincerity, a neat appearance and reliability are therefore important in the job. You also need to make quick decisions when something unexpected happens and give staff clear instructions. Wide knowledge and experience are needed too, for example how funeral arrangements differ between religious denominations. There is a lot of standing work and some ceremonies are long, so a certain level of fitness is needed.

How much does a Funeral Director earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥4,026,700 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other service workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Funeral Director?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 20% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Funeral Director?

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