ARCHITECT / DESIGNER
02Architectural Designer / Architect
One line decides the building. The person responsible for the drawings.
You handle schematic design, detailed design, building permit applications and construction supervision（工事監理）. For buildings above a certain size or of certain structures, only a 1st-class, 2nd-class or Wooden-structure Architect can do the design and construction supervision (a licensed-only occupation). Drawing under an architect’s direction is possible without a license.
- Job openings ratioArchitecture, civil engineering & surveying engineers (incl. construction management) / FY2025
- 5.585.1× all jobs
- Est. annual payArchitectural engineers (incl. construction management) / avg. age 43.4
- ¥6.79M
- Key licenses
- 2nd-class Architect（二級建築士）1st-class Architect（一級建築士）Wooden-structure Architect（木造建築士）
Sources: 一般職業紹介状況・雇用関係指標（年度）2025年度 — Employment Referrals for General Workers, FY2025 (MHLW) / 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査 — 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure (MHLW, Mar 2026). The occupational classification does not give a ratio for design jobs alone. There are no official wage statistics for design jobs alone.
01 WORK
What the job involves
Schematic design
Decide the building’s framework and floor plan from the client’s wishes, the site, regulations and budget.
Detailed design
Develop the drawings to the precision needed for construction, coordinating with structural and building-services designers.
Building permit application
Prepare the documents for review of compliance with the Building Standards Act and other laws.
Construction supervision
Check that the work is being done according to the design drawings.
Where you’d work
Large firms, atelier practices, structural or building-services design firms. From schematic design to supervision.
Design for design-build projects and coordination with shop drawings.
Housing design. Reportedly sometimes combined with plan proposals to clients (unverified).
Building confirmation and inspection, public building maintenance.
02 LICENSE
Steps to getting licensed
If you graduate from a university, junior college, college of technology, vocational school or similar after completing the designated courses, you can take the 1st-class Architect exam with no work experience (after the amendment in force March 1, 2020). The practical experience only has to be completed by the time you register the license.
- STEP01NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED
Design assistant (CAD operator, etc.)
No license needed. Only a licensed architect can sign as designer or construction supervisor.
- STEP02
Graduate after completing the designated courses
Courses designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism at a university, junior college, college of technology, vocational school or similar
- STEP03
2nd-class Architect（二級建築士）exam (academic → design drafting)
Graduation with the designated courses, among other routes
2025 overall pass rate 22.6%
- STEP04
1st-class Architect（一級建築士）exam (academic → design drafting)
Graduation with the designated courses, 2nd-class Architect, Building Services Engineer（建築設備士）, etc. Work experience is not an exam requirement
2025 overall pass rate 11.4%. Passers’ average age 30.0
- STEP05GOAL
License registration
Complete the specified practical experience by the time you register (the years differ by education; check with the Japan Federation of Architects & Building Engineers Associations（建築士会連合会）)
1st-class Architect exam over time (academic, design drafting, overall pass rate)
| Year | Academic | Design drafting | Overall | Drafting assignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15.2% | 35.9% | 9.9% | Apartment building |
| 2022 | 21.0% | 33.0% | 9.9% | Office building |
| 2023 | 16.2% | 33.2% | 9.9% | Library |
| 2024 | 23.3% | 26.6% | 8.8% | University |
| 2025 | 16.5% | 35.0% | 11.4% | Government office |
Source: 令和7年一級建築士試験「設計製図の試験」の合格者を決定（報道発表） — Passers of the 2025 1st-class Architect exam (design drafting) announced (press release) (MLIT, Dec 2025). Some pass rates are calculated from the numbers of examinees and passers.
See the license roadmap for all five trades →03 PAY & DEMAND
Pay and job openings ratio
Source: 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査（一般労働者・企業規模10人以上） — 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure (regular employees, enterprises with 10+ employees) (MHLW, published Mar 2026). Estimated annual pay = scheduled monthly cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus; an estimate made by the source material (not an officially published figure). Regular employees at enterprises with 10+ employees.
JOB OPENINGS RATIO
5.58
Architecture, civil engineering & surveying engineers (incl. construction management) (FY2025)
The occupational classification does not give a ratio for design jobs alone. That works out to about 5.6 job openings per job seeker.
Source: 一般職業紹介状況（職業安定業務統計）・雇用関係指標（年度）2025年度 — Employment Referrals for General Workers, FY2025 (MHLW, published 2026). Through Hello Work, regular employment incl. part-time.
04 WORK STYLE
Working conditions & rule changes
An aging profession
Of 1st-class Architects working at registered architect offices, 43.6% are 60 or older (2024); people in their 20s and 30s make up 11.3% combined. MLIT estimates that “if current trends continue, the number of architects at these offices will halve in 30 years.”
Law changes on April 1, 2025
Compliance with energy-efficiency standards became mandatory for, in principle, all new buildings. The “Category 4 exemption（4号特例）” for wooden detached houses was also narrowed: structural review can now be skipped only for single-story buildings of 200 ㎡ or less in total floor area. Housing design now involves more structural and energy documents.
Exam season
The 1st-class design drafting exam is held in October (October 12 in 2025). The study load for candidates is concentrated from summer to autumn.
Overtime & days off
We could not find official statistics on overtime or days off at design firms. The reliable way is to ask for actual figures on a visit.
05 FIELD CHECK
Ask this on your visit.
On a visit or trial day, ask the people on site about the things a job ad doesn’t show.
- Q1
Before the drafting exam, do you adjust work schedules or support exam fees?
WHYThe 1st-class exam has two stages (academic, then drafting). How you can work during exam season affects whether you pass.
- Q2
Does the work here count as the practical experience needed for license registration?
WHYSince the 2020 amendment, practical experience is reviewed at registration.
- Q3
What building uses and structures do you mainly handle? (Wooden houses / non-residential RC or steel)
WHYIt changes what experience you build up.
- Q4
Who does the structural and energy calculations?
WHYThe April 2025 law changes have increased the workload in housing design.
- Q5
Which CAD or BIM software do you use?
WHYYou’ll know what software you need to learn after joining.
Visit a workplace in this trade before you choose.
With Cura, you can apply for a visit or a paid trial day without a résumé or interview. It’s free for job seekers.
The Cura app is in Japanese.（クーラのアプリ／サイトは日本語です）
NOTE / READING THE NUMBERS
- The openings ratio and wage are for categories that include construction management, not for design jobs alone.
- We have not included the years of practical experience needed for architect registration, or the size thresholds for licensed-only work, because we could not confirm them in the original sources.
SOURCES
- 一般職業紹介状況（職業安定業務統計）・雇用関係指標（年度）2025年度 — Employment Referrals for General Workers (Public Employment Security Statistics), employment indicators by fiscal year, FY2025 (MHLW, published 2026)
- 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査（一般労働者・企業規模10人以上） — 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure (regular employees, enterprises with 10+ employees) (MHLW, published Mar 2026)
- 一級建築士試験 受験資格（2020年3月1日施行の建築士法改正後） — 1st-class Architect exam eligibility (after the Architect Act amendment in force Mar 1, 2020) (Japan Architectural Education and Information Center (JAEIC), in force 2020)
- 令和7年一級建築士試験「設計製図の試験」の合格者を決定（報道発表） — Passers of the 2025 1st-class Architect exam (design drafting) announced (press release) (MLIT, Dec 2025)
- 二級建築士試験 試験結果 — 2nd-class Architect exam results (Japan Architectural Education and Information Center (JAEIC), 2025)
- 建築分野の担い手の動向について（建築分野の中長期的なあり方に関する懇談会 資料4） — Trends in the architectural workforce (roundtable on the future of the building sector, Document 4) (MLIT, 2025)
- 改正建築物省エネ法・建築基準法等に関する解説資料 — Guide to the amended Building Energy Efficiency Act and Building Standards Act (MLIT, in force Apr 2025)