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Pipe laying workers

How to become a Plumber and Pipefitter

Also called: Gas fitter, Air conditioning pipefitter, Aircraft pipefitter, Water plumber, Steamfitter, Ship pipefitter, Railway vehicle pipefitter, Pipe repairer

Installs piping for water supply, drainage, gas, heating, cooling and ventilation, fire sprinklers, wastewater treatment and air purification systems.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say 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 qualifications are needed to start. People learn the skills while working, or complete a set course at a vocational training school and then start work. Related qualifications include the piping exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and chief engineer for water supply installation, which serve as proof of skill. You can widen the range of work you do by gaining qualifications such as certified plumbing works manager (at least one must be assigned to sites with a contract value of 40 million yen or more, or 60 million yen or more for whole-building contracts), gas welding operator (needed for welding) and fire protection equipment engineer (relating to fire hydrant piping). Buildings are completed from drawings through the combined work of many trades, so you need to be able to picture flat drawings in three dimensions and know the order of related work. Buildings are governed by many laws such as the Building Standards Act and the Fire Service Act, so you need to know the basic points of the laws relating to piping.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Plumber and Pipefitter?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. People learn the skills while working, or complete a set course at a vocational training school and then start work. Related qualifications include the piping exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and chief engineer for water supply installation, which serve as proof of skill. You can widen the range of work you do by gaining qualifications such as certified plumbing works manager (at least one must be assigned to sites with a contract value of 40 million yen or more, or 60 million yen or more for whole-building contracts), gas welding operator (needed for welding) and fire protection equipment engineer (relating to fire hydrant piping). Buildings are completed from drawings through the combined work of many trades, so you need to be able to picture flat drawings in three dimensions and know the order of related work. Buildings are governed by many laws such as the Building Standards Act and the Fire Service Act, so you need to know the basic points of the laws relating to piping.

How much does a Plumber and Pipefitter earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,230,700 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

Do you need a degree to become a Plumber and Pipefitter?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 12% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定).

Will AI change the work of a Plumber and Pipefitter?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, 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