Peernovo
Journalists, editors

How to become a Magazine Reporter

Researches topics that fit a magazine's concept and writes articles.

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, but you need a university graduate level of general knowledge. New graduates sit the recruitment exams of newspapers, publishers and similar companies after finishing their studies, and those who pass are assigned to a magazine's editorial department. For magazines in specialist fields such as law, economics, science or medicine, having graduated in that field is an advantage. After joining, some people go straight out reporting on the front line as reporters, learning techniques and ways of analysing, while others start as part of their training by commissioning articles from outside writers and collecting them. You need curiosity about events in society, the ability to analyse information and the writing skills to produce articles. Articles must never lack fairness or public value, so a sense of justice and mission is needed. With experience, some go independent and supply articles to magazines as freelance writers.

Ways in

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 Magazine Reporter?

No particular qualifications or level of education are needed to start, but you need a university graduate level of general knowledge. New graduates sit the recruitment exams of newspapers, publishers and similar companies after finishing their studies, and those who pass are assigned to a magazine's editorial department. For magazines in specialist fields such as law, economics, science or medicine, having graduated in that field is an advantage. After joining, some people go straight out reporting on the front line as reporters, learning techniques and ways of analysing, while others start as part of their training by commissioning articles from outside writers and collecting them. You need curiosity about events in society, the ability to analyse information and the writing skills to produce articles. Articles must never lack fairness or public value, so a sense of justice and mission is needed. With experience, some go independent and supply articles to magazines as freelance writers.

How much does a Magazine Reporter 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 Reporter?

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

Will AI change the work of a Magazine Reporter?

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