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General affairs and human affairs workers

How to become an Internal Auditor

Investigates, reviews and evaluates how internal controls are set up and working in an organisation, reports the results to the top (the president or board) and recommends improvements.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university 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 required for this job, but almost everyone is a university graduate. Some have built hands-on experience after upper secondary school or a kosen (college of technology). Internal auditors need to understand the company's operations and deal with department heads as equals, which requires considerable experience, so most come through internal transfer or are hired mid-career with audit experience; almost nobody starts in the role as a new graduate. As a result, most auditors are in their 30s to 50s. Those who transfer internally come from many departments, such as sales, administration, accounting and finance, general affairs and HR, and information systems. It is said to take one to two years to learn the job and become capable enough to be sent on audit trips alone. Training is mainly on the job, with active participation in courses and study sessions as well. To build up the internal audit function, including developing staff, some companies now seem to be assigning new graduates to the internal audit department, rotating them through several departments over a few years and then having them take on internal audit work in earnest. Some companies encourage staff to gain qualifications such as the internal auditor qualification from the relevant association or the CIA (Certified Internal Auditor). You need broad knowledge of business operations and of social trends, laws and regulations, and you must keep building your expertise. Because of the nature of the work, confidentiality and high ethical standards are required. Communication skills and cooperation are also important. Internal auditing is not just about pointing out weaknesses: it helps each part of the organisation add value by working with the audited department to find solutions and encouraging it to improve on its own. So it is good to be able to look at things from many angles and to make improvement suggestions and take an educational approach.

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Questions people ask

How do I become an Internal Auditor?

No particular education or qualification is required for this job, but almost everyone is a university graduate. Some have built hands-on experience after upper secondary school or a kosen (college of technology). Internal auditors need to understand the company's operations and deal with department heads as equals, which requires considerable experience, so most come through internal transfer or are hired mid-career with audit experience; almost nobody starts in the role as a new graduate. As a result, most auditors are in their 30s to 50s. Those who transfer internally come from many departments, such as sales, administration, accounting and finance, general affairs and HR, and information systems. It is said to take one to two years to learn the job and become capable enough to be sent on audit trips alone. Training is mainly on the job, with active participation in courses and study sessions as well. To build up the internal audit function, including developing staff, some companies now seem to be assigning new graduates to the internal audit department, rotating them through several departments over a few years and then having them take on internal audit work in earnest. Some companies encourage staff to gain qualifications such as the internal auditor qualification from the relevant association or the CIA (Certified Internal Auditor). You need broad knowledge of business operations and of social trends, laws and regulations, and you must keep building your expertise. Because of the nature of the work, confidentiality and high ethical standards are required. Communication skills and cooperation are also important. Internal auditing is not just about pointing out weaknesses: it helps each part of the organisation add value by working with the audited department to find solutions and encouraging it to improve on its own. So it is good to be able to look at things from many angles and to make improvement suggestions and take an educational approach.

How much does an Internal Auditor earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,252,200 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group General affairs and human affairs workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become an Internal Auditor?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 43% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of an Internal Auditor?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, 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