Peernovo
Medicine sales workers

How to become a Medical Representative

Works for a pharmaceutical company, giving doctors and other health workers information on the effects and use of medicines, mainly the company's own, and gathering information from the medical front line.

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 qualifications are needed to start, but almost everyone in the job is a university graduate, hired through their university or open recruitment. After joining a pharmaceutical company or similar, you take induction training on a curriculum shared across the industry, learning not only about the company's products but also medicine, pharmacology, diseases and the relevant laws. You then sit the certification exam run by the MR Certification Center. Once you complete the induction training you can work as a medical representative whether or not you pass, but almost all medical representatives hold MR certification. Even after certification, you take continuing education every year. You handle medicines and need health workers to use them properly, so as well as medical and pharmacological knowledge you need strong ethics, the ability to explain things scientifically and logically, and the communication skills to build trust with doctors and others and keep growing your network. You also need to keep developing yourself, for example by actively seeking out new information on medicines.

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Medical Representative?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start, but almost everyone in the job is a university graduate, hired through their university or open recruitment. After joining a pharmaceutical company or similar, you take induction training on a curriculum shared across the industry, learning not only about the company's products but also medicine, pharmacology, diseases and the relevant laws. You then sit the certification exam run by the MR Certification Center. Once you complete the induction training you can work as a medical representative whether or not you pass, but almost all medical representatives hold MR certification. Even after certification, you take continuing education every year. You handle medicines and need health workers to use them properly, so as well as medical and pharmacological knowledge you need strong ethics, the ability to explain things scientifically and logically, and the communication skills to build trust with doctors and others and keep growing your network. You also need to keep developing yourself, for example by actively seeking out new information on medicines.

How much does a Medical Representative earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥6,607,000 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other sales workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Medical Representative?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 87% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Medical Representative?

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