How to become a National Government Administrative Officer

Works at central government ministries and their regional offices, handling the administrative work that keeps each area of government running smoothly for the public.

Main tasks

• Preparing, sorting, organising and storing documents and records
• Drawing up plans, doing research and running meetings on national government business
• Drafting bills, guidelines and other documents to carry out national government policy
• Preparing reports, statistics and publicity materials on national government business
• Serving members of the public at the counter and answering the phone
• Receiving notifications and applications under the law and handling permits, approvals and inspections
• Handling the administration of maintaining and running facilities and equipment managed by the national government
• Coordinating with government and related bodies
• Checking the eligibility of companies bidding for public works
• Placing orders for public construction works
• Managing staff attendance

Workers in this job say university 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

You must pass the national public service recruitment exam. There are exams for the comprehensive, general, specialist and experienced-hire tracks, and the eligibility, content, hiring ministry and type of work differ by exam category. After passing, you go through the selection process of the ministry you want to work for, and you are hired if you pass it. It depends on the type of job and exam, but based on ability and experience you can be promoted to section chief, deputy director and management positions. National government administrative officers need a view across the whole of government, fairness, a spirit of service and a commitment to working for the public and the common good.

Ways in

• Vocational college, junior college, kosen and trade skills tests: Vocational college (専門学校) course: Law and public administration. 専修学校 courses in 法律行政 (文化・教養関係) had 6,745 graduates in the 2024 school year, 5,524 of whom started work in a related field (School Basic Survey 2025, table 237). Course matched to the occupation by Peernovo.

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

• 0.34 job openings per applicant at Hello Work (2025). A current demand signal, not a projection. It counts only the jobs and job seekers registered at Hello Work, Japan's public employment offices, and many graduate and professional hires never pass through it.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a National Government Administrative Officer?

You must pass the national public service recruitment exam. There are exams for the comprehensive, general, specialist and experienced-hire tracks, and the eligibility, content, hiring ministry and type of work differ by exam category. After passing, you go through the selection process of the ministry you want to work for, and you are hired if you pass it. It depends on the type of job and exam, but based on ability and experience you can be promoted to section chief, deputy director and management positions. National government administrative officers need a view across the whole of government, fairness, a spirit of service and a commitment to working for the public and the common good.

Do you need a degree to become a National Government Administrative Officer?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 55% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Vocational college (専門学校) course: Law and public administration.

Will AI change the work of a National Government Administrative Officer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Statistics Bureau of Japan (MIC): 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査) detailed sample tabulation: employed by occupation, sex, age and education (2020 Census (tables 9-1 and 15-1, published 2022-12-27)), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Employment Referrals for General Workers (一般職業紹介状況): Hello Work job-openings-to-applicants ratio by occupation (2025 annual (release of 2026-10-02)), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• JILPT (職業情報データベース) via MHLW job tag: job tag download data: 解説系 (descriptions, how to become, related qualifications) and 簡易版数値系 (interests, tasks, education) (解説系 ver.7.01 (2026-06-04); 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00 (2026-03-17)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

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