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Prison guards and other judicial police staff

How to become a Prison Officer

Guides people held in prisons, juvenile prisons and detention centres in daily life and job training, and advises them on their worries.

Main tasks

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

If you pass the prison officer A (male) or B (female) exam, one of the national public service recruitment exams, you are placed on a list of candidates, and hires are chosen from that list. The first stage tests the basic abilities needed as a public servant, and the second stage includes an individual interview, a medical check, an eyesight test and a fitness test. There are also prison officer A (male) and B (female) martial arts categories, with a practical test in judo or kendo, for applicants aged 29 or under, and categories for people with work experience, for applicants under 40. People hired through the martial arts category often do work that uses those skills, mainly security at correctional facilities. Prison officers deal directly with inmates, guiding them in daily life and job training to help them reform and return smoothly to society, work that keeps society safe and secure. So you need a strong passion for the job, a sense of mission and high ethical standards. Because you hold inmates in custody and manage their treatment, you must keep building your knowledge of the laws related to the job, such as the Act on Penal Detention Facilities, the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, and of human sciences such as psychology and education. You also need the cooperation and flexibility to work with colleagues and with staff from other agencies such as public prosecutors offices and probation offices.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Prison Officer?

If you pass the prison officer A (male) or B (female) exam, one of the national public service recruitment exams, you are placed on a list of candidates, and hires are chosen from that list. The first stage tests the basic abilities needed as a public servant, and the second stage includes an individual interview, a medical check, an eyesight test and a fitness test. There are also prison officer A (male) and B (female) martial arts categories, with a practical test in judo or kendo, for applicants aged 29 or under, and categories for people with work experience, for applicants under 40. People hired through the martial arts category often do work that uses those skills, mainly security at correctional facilities. Prison officers deal directly with inmates, guiding them in daily life and job training to help them reform and return smoothly to society, work that keeps society safe and secure. So you need a strong passion for the job, a sense of mission and high ethical standards. Because you hold inmates in custody and manage their treatment, you must keep building your knowledge of the laws related to the job, such as the Act on Penal Detention Facilities, the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, and of human sciences such as psychology and education. You also need the cooperation and flexibility to work with colleagues and with staff from other agencies such as public prosecutors offices and probation offices.

Do you need a degree to become a Prison Officer?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 50% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Prison Officer?

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