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Other product manufacturing and processing workers (except metal products)

How to become a Toy Maker

Also called: Toy manufacturing machine operator, Toy assembler, Doll maker, Toy factory worker

Comes up with ideas for, plans, designs and develops new or improved toys, or makes and assembles toys in a factory following set procedures.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. There are senmon gakko (vocational colleges) that teach toy planning, development and design. For planning and development jobs, it depends on the company, but people often join as new graduates and are moved into the role after gaining experience in other departments. Production jobs are also open to people changing careers and to part-time workers. Once you start, you learn skills on the job, moving on to a new stage of production once you have mastered one. Planning and development work needs the ability to gather information and accurately spot new trends and what people want from toys, and the imagination to come up with ideas. Turning ideas into products depends on working with many people, so communication skills are important too. In production, as automation increases, you need the care and patience to learn exactly how to operate the machines and handle them properly. For toys you plan yourself and make one by one by hand, you need imagination and also the persistence to keep doing fine, detailed work.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Toy Maker?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. There are senmon gakko (vocational colleges) that teach toy planning, development and design. For planning and development jobs, it depends on the company, but people often join as new graduates and are moved into the role after gaining experience in other departments. Production jobs are also open to people changing careers and to part-time workers. Once you start, you learn skills on the job, moving on to a new stage of production once you have mastered one. Planning and development work needs the ability to gather information and accurately spot new trends and what people want from toys, and the imagination to come up with ideas. Turning ideas into products depends on working with many people, so communication skills are important too. In production, as automation increases, you need the care and patience to learn exactly how to operate the machines and handle them properly. For toys you plan yourself and make one by one by hand, you need imagination and also the persistence to keep doing fine, detailed work.

How much does a Toy Maker earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥4,105,900 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other product manufacturing and processing workers (except metal products), which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Toy Maker?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 19% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Toy Maker?

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