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Journalists, editors

How to become a Magazine Editor

Plans and edits magazines in a publisher's magazine department or at an editorial production company.

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 qualifications or level of education are needed to start. People usually join a publisher or editorial production company after graduating from university or a senmon gakko (vocational college). Some universities have faculties and departments related to editing, such as mass communication or journalism, but recruitment exams often do not ask about your faculty or major. Many students who want to be editors apply to the big publishers, so competition is tough. Big publishers also produce magazines across a wide range of genres, so there is no knowing whether you will get to edit the magazine you want after joining. Some publishers have a policy of moving editors to magazines in different genres every few years. Small and medium publishers often publish a set range of magazines or recruit editors for each magazine, so you can often keep editing magazines in the genre you want for a relatively long time. Magazine editors need a flair for coming up with ideas and the communication skills to work smoothly with outside contributors. Strong writing in Japanese is also needed. When mid-career hiring is done for a particular magazine, knowledge of the genre that magazine covers matters more than what you studied. People with editing experience at a publisher or editorial production company, who can contribute straight away, are expected. For specialist magazines, people with work experience in the field are sometimes hired mid-career, for example computer engineers who become editors of IT magazines.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Magazine Editor?

No particular qualifications or level of education are needed to start. People usually join a publisher or editorial production company after graduating from university or a senmon gakko (vocational college). Some universities have faculties and departments related to editing, such as mass communication or journalism, but recruitment exams often do not ask about your faculty or major. Many students who want to be editors apply to the big publishers, so competition is tough. Big publishers also produce magazines across a wide range of genres, so there is no knowing whether you will get to edit the magazine you want after joining. Some publishers have a policy of moving editors to magazines in different genres every few years. Small and medium publishers often publish a set range of magazines or recruit editors for each magazine, so you can often keep editing magazines in the genre you want for a relatively long time. Magazine editors need a flair for coming up with ideas and the communication skills to work smoothly with outside contributors. Strong writing in Japanese is also needed. When mid-career hiring is done for a particular magazine, knowledge of the genre that magazine covers matters more than what you studied. People with editing experience at a publisher or editorial production company, who can contribute straight away, are expected. For specialist magazines, people with work experience in the field are sometimes hired mid-career, for example computer engineers who become editors of IT magazines.

How much does a Magazine Editor earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥6,731,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Authors, journalists, editors, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Magazine Editor?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 80% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Magazine Editor?

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