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Other general clerical workers

How to become a Medical Office Clerk

Also called: Health insurance claims clerk, Dental billing clerk, Hospital receptionist, Ward clerk, Health information clerk, Medical billing clerk

Prepares the documents for claiming medical fees in hospitals and clinics, and at the front counter handles outpatient reception, billing and admission and discharge procedures.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say vocational college (senmon gakko) or 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 required to start. Many people first study how to convert drug prices and medical fees into points, how to prepare claims and how to read medical records at a senmon gakko (vocational college) or by distance learning before starting work. You start with simple calculations such as the points for consultation and medicine fees and, as you gain experience, move on to complex calculations for X-rays, injections, tests, surgery and hospital stays. You master the job by building experience and handling many cases. Related qualifications include private exams such as the medical fee claims proficiency test and the medical office skills test. The work involves repeatedly copying information onto documents and calculating points, so you need the persistence to work steadily without losing concentration, and the attention to notice oversights and mistakes.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Medical Office Clerk?

No particular education or qualification is required to start. Many people first study how to convert drug prices and medical fees into points, how to prepare claims and how to read medical records at a senmon gakko (vocational college) or by distance learning before starting work. You start with simple calculations such as the points for consultation and medicine fees and, as you gain experience, move on to complex calculations for X-rays, injections, tests, surgery and hospital stays. You master the job by building experience and handling many cases. Related qualifications include private exams such as the medical fee claims proficiency test and the medical office skills test. The work involves repeatedly copying information onto documents and calculating points, so you need the persistence to work steadily without losing concentration, and the attention to notice oversights and mistakes.

How much does a Medical Office Clerk earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,286,700 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other general clerical workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Medical Office Clerk?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 55% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Junior college (短期大学) programme.

Will AI change the work of a Medical Office Clerk?

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