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Food manufacturing workers

How to become a Japanese Confectioner

Official title: Japanese Confectioner (Wagashi)

Also called: Senbei (rice cracker) maker, Daifuku (rice cake) maker, Dorayaki (pancake sweet) maker, Monaka (wafer sweet) maker, Yokan (bean jelly) maker, Japanese sweets production worker

Makes many kinds of wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) in sweet shops.

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. However, some confectionery senmon gakko (vocational colleges) have wagashi courses, and some people study at one before starting work. The key to becoming a wagashi maker is learning the skills of making the sweets, but because there are so many kinds, you need a lot of experience to master them. Useful qualifications include the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's licensed confectioner (seika eiseishi) qualification and the confectionery making exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test). A licensed confectioner can become a food hygiene supervisor without attending the training course run by the Food Hygiene Association. You also need knowledge of food hygiene, the properties of ingredients and how to use them, confectionery theory, how production links to sales, and business management. As well as an interest in wagashi, you need to develop your sense of taste and an eye for design, colour and decoration, and it is important to keep learning widely. With experience people move into leading roles such as supervisor or factory manager. Those who aim to open their own shop sometimes work in several shops to learn a range of techniques.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Japanese Confectioner?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. However, some confectionery senmon gakko (vocational colleges) have wagashi courses, and some people study at one before starting work. The key to becoming a wagashi maker is learning the skills of making the sweets, but because there are so many kinds, you need a lot of experience to master them. Useful qualifications include the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's licensed confectioner (seika eiseishi) qualification and the confectionery making exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test). A licensed confectioner can become a food hygiene supervisor without attending the training course run by the Food Hygiene Association. You also need knowledge of food hygiene, the properties of ingredients and how to use them, confectionery theory, how production links to sales, and business management. As well as an interest in wagashi, you need to develop your sense of taste and an eye for design, colour and decoration, and it is important to keep learning widely. With experience people move into leading roles such as supervisor or factory manager. Those who aim to open their own shop sometimes work in several shops to learn a range of techniques.

How much does a Japanese Confectioner earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,967,400 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Food, beverage and tobacco production workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Japanese Confectioner?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 13% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定); Vocational college (専門学校) course: Confectionery and baking.

Will AI change the work of a Japanese Confectioner?

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