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General affairs and human affairs workers

How to become a Public Relations Officer

Also called: PR clerk

Acts as the contact point for a company or organisation's public relations, clearly communicating its values, business policy, activities and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to customers, consumers and local residents.

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 qualification is required for this job. Studying media at university can sometimes be an advantage, but practical experience tends to matter most, and people from all kinds of degrees work in PR. You need to understand the company's concept, such as its business policy, strategy and vision, and keep up with the state of the industry and market trends. You need plenty of information and knowledge, plus the analytical and communication skills and flexibility to choose the best way of expressing things at each moment. For this reason, people are rarely assigned to PR as soon as they are hired; they usually move to PR from other departments. To improve the company's image you must share objective, accurate information, and you also need calm, balanced judgement about how to release information to the public when problems arise. You often work with media people and creative professionals such as graphic designers, so you need basic knowledge of the media and the coordination and persuasion skills to direct creative staff. You often meet outside parties on behalf of the company, so you also need to be considerate and polite.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Public Relations Officer?

No particular education or qualification is required for this job. Studying media at university can sometimes be an advantage, but practical experience tends to matter most, and people from all kinds of degrees work in PR. You need to understand the company's concept, such as its business policy, strategy and vision, and keep up with the state of the industry and market trends. You need plenty of information and knowledge, plus the analytical and communication skills and flexibility to choose the best way of expressing things at each moment. For this reason, people are rarely assigned to PR as soon as they are hired; they usually move to PR from other departments. To improve the company's image you must share objective, accurate information, and you also need calm, balanced judgement about how to release information to the public when problems arise. You often work with media people and creative professionals such as graphic designers, so you need basic knowledge of the media and the coordination and persuasion skills to direct creative staff. You often meet outside parties on behalf of the company, so you also need to be considerate and polite.

How much does a Public Relations Officer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,252,200 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group General affairs and human affairs workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Public Relations Officer?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 43% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Public Relations Officer?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, 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