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Japanese resume (履歴書) and career history document (職務経歴書): how to write them

A Japanese employer usually asks for two documents: the Japanese resume (履歴書, rirekisho), a form with fixed fields, and the career history document (職務経歴書, shokumu keirekisho), sometimes called a Japanese CV. Here is every field of the official model form in English, how to write dates, experience and your reasons for applying — and filled-in samples with English hints you can download.

Download the samples

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Checked against the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Immigration Services Agency on October 7, 2026 · How to find a job · Japanese for work

Documents a Japanese employer usually asks for2

Year the ministry published its own model resume form2021

2026 in the Japanese era calendarReiwa 8

Samples and a template to download3 files

In short

The essentials of a Japanese resume

  • Rirekisho is a form with fixed fields: name, address, education and work by year, licenses and certificates, reasons for applying. Shokumu keirekisho describes your work in free form, 1–2 pages.
  • The form. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recommends its own model (厚生労働省履歴書様式例): gender is optional, and there are no fields about a spouse or dependents. If a company gives you its own form, fill in that one.
  • Same everywhere. Your name, dates and job titles must match in both documents, on your residence card and in your visa papers.
  • Numbers, not general words: how many clients or documents, what percentage, over what period.
  • For your visa your major and the exact dates of your work matter — companies in categories 3 and 4 (most small and new companies) submit your resume to the Immigration Services Agency.

Two documents

Rirekisho and shokumu keirekisho: the difference

履歴書 · rirekisho 職務経歴書 · shokumu keirekisho
What it is A form about you: who you are, where you studied and worked Your work in detail: duties, results, skills
Format A form with fields — the ministry’s model or the company’s own Free form, usually typed
Length Two A4 pages (or one A3 sheet) Usually 1–2 A4 pages
What counts Accuracy, neatness, one date system Numbers and results, a link to the job
Who needs it Almost every applicant Everyone with work experience; rarely new graduates

Unlike a Western CV, the rirekisho is not a sales document: it is a fixed form that the employer checks line by line. You sell yourself in the reasons-for-applying box and in the career history. New graduates of Japanese universities and colleges often get the company’s own application form instead — the entry sheet (エントリーシート) with questions about motivation. How graduate hiring works: shūkatsu, graduate hiring in Japan.

Rirekisho field by field

The ministry’s form in English

The fields of the model form (厚生労働省履歴書様式例) in order. The blank form is on the ministry’s website (PDF and Excel, A4 and A3); a filled-in sample is below, under Download.

Field In English How to fill it in
年　月　日現在 Date “as of …” The day you send the resume or go to the interview, not the day you printed the form
ふりがな Reading For a foreign name — in katakana: ケストレル アニカ
氏名 (shimei) Full name As in your passport and residence card (在留カード, zairyū kādo), usually in Latin letters
生年月日（満　歳） Date of birth (age) Your age in full years on the date at the top
※性別 Gender Optional — you may leave it blank
現住所 〒 (genjūsho) Address and postal code In full, with the building name and room number; the reading in hiragana above it
電話 Phone A Japanese mobile number; your email next to it if there is no separate field
連絡先 Other contact address Only if it differs from where you live
学歴 (gakureki) Education A heading in the middle, then one line per step in date order, usually from secondary school
入学 / 卒業 / 卒業見込み Entered / graduated / expected to graduate Full name, faculty and major; the country in brackets
職歴 (shokureki) Work experience A heading in the middle; each job on its own line
入社 / 退職 Joined / left For leaving, people usually write 一身上の都合により退職 — “left for personal reasons”
現在に至る / 以上 To the present / end 以上 (ijō) goes on the right of the last line
免許・資格 (menkyo, shikaku) Licenses and certificates Official names: 日本語能力試験 N2 合格 (passed); scores — 取得 (obtained)
志望の動機、特技、好きな学科、アピールポイントなど Reasons for applying, skills, favorite subject, strengths Why this company and how you can help it — 4–6 sentences
本人希望記入欄 (honnin kibō kinyūran) Personal requests Usually 貴社の規定に従います — “I will follow the company’s rules”; you can add the date you can start

Japan used to use a resume form based on the JIS industrial standard. Its sample was withdrawn in July 2020, and in 2021 the ministry published its own. In it, gender is optional, and four fields were removed as too personal: commuting time, number of dependents, spouse, and whether you must support your spouse. A company may still give you its own form or questionnaire — then fill in that one. Under the Employment Security Act (職業安定法, Article 5-5) an employer may, as a rule, collect a job seeker’s personal data only as far as hiring requires, and must tell you the purpose.

Photo and format

The photo, handwritten or typed

  • A photo — if the company asks for one. That is what the ministry’s form says (写真をはる必要がある場合). The new form gives no size; the old JIS form said 36–40 × 24–30 mm, so people usually use 4 × 3 cm.
  • What photo: usually chest up, facing the camera, plain background, business clothes, taken recently. Write your name on the back in case it comes off. Selfies and cropped snapshots do not work.
  • Handwritten or typed. The ministry’s form exists as an Excel file, so you can fill it in on a computer. If a company wants a handwritten resume, the job ad says so: then use a black pen and no corrections — if you make a mistake, start a new sheet.
  • Sending it. By email — usually as a PDF with a clear file name (履歴書_your name). By mail — in a white A4 envelope without folding, with a cover letter (送付状, sōfujō).

西暦 and 和暦 · seireki and wareki

Years: Western or Japanese era

You may write years the Western way (西暦: 2026年) or in the Japanese era calendar (和暦: 令和8年). One rule: use one system throughout the rirekisho and the shokumu keirekisho.

Year Japanese era year
1995 平成7年 (Heisei 7)
1998 平成10年 (Heisei 10)
2000 平成12年 (Heisei 12)
2016 平成28年 (Heisei 28)
2019 to April 30 / from May 1 平成31年 / 令和元年 (Reiwa 1, gannen)
2020 令和2年 (Reiwa 2)
2024 令和6年 (Reiwa 6)
2025 令和7年 (Reiwa 7)
2026 令和8年 (Reiwa 8)
2027 令和9年 (Reiwa 9)

The Reiwa era (令和) began on May 1, 2019: Reiwa year = Western year minus 2018. Heisei (平成): year minus 1988. The first year of an era is written 元年 (gannen).

Example: experience and age

  1. Joined a company in August 2020Work line: 2020年 8月 … 入社.
  2. Left in January 2024Line: 2024年 1月 一身上の都合により退職.
  3. How long is thatAugust 2020 to January 2024, both months included, is 42 months — 3年6か月, “3 years 6 months”. Write it that way in the career history and in your self-introduction.
  4. AgeBorn May 12, 1998 (平成10年), resume dated October 1, 2026: 満28歳, “28 years old”.

職務経歴書 · shokumu keirekisho

The career history document: structure and example

There is no official form. Employers expect a clear structure: the date and your name at the top, then sections with ■ headings. The examples come from our sample (translated). Hello Work advises A4, 1–2 pages, preferably typed.

Section What to write Example (translated)
職務要約 (shokumu yōyaku) Career summary: 3–5 lines “3 years 6 months at a logistics company: export and import documents for Japan, sales support for 12 Japanese clients”
職務経歴 (shokumu keireki) For each company: period, business, number of employees, type of employment, duties, results “Invoices and certificates of origin — 60 a month on average. A checklist cut shipment delays by about 30%”
活かせる経験・知識・技術 What this company can use: 3–5 points “Trade documents; Excel — pivot tables”
資格・語学 (shikaku, gogaku) Certificates and languages, with dates “JLPT N2 (December 2025), BJT 420; English — business level”
自己PR (jiko PR) Self-promotion: a strength → an example → the result → the benefit for the company “I am good at building routines that reduce mistakes…”
以上 End of document — bottom right
  • List your jobs in date order (編年体, hennentai) or starting from the latest (逆編年体, gyaku hennentai). If you have had many jobs, start with the latest — it matters most.
  • Write a foreign company’s name in katakana (or in Latin letters) with the country and what it does in brackets: the name alone tells a Japanese reader nothing.
  • Add a part-time job in Japan if it fits the vacancy. For a student, the hours must be within the part-time work permission (28 hours a week).

志望動機 and 自己PR

Your reasons for applying and your self-promotion

These paragraphs are read most carefully. Stock phrases like “I want to grow in Japan” do not work.

Reasons for applying: 志望動機 · shibō dōki

  • Why this industry and why this company — one or two specific reasons (its product, market or customers).
  • What you bring: experience, languages, knowledge of your home country’s market or of English-speaking customers — with an example.
  • What you want to do at the company in a few years.

Self-promotion: 自己PR · jiko PR

One strength, an example from your work, the result in numbers and the benefit for the company. In written documents you call the company 貴社 (kisha); when speaking, 御社 (onsha).

The cover email

By email: subject 「応募書類送付の件（your name）」 — “Application documents”, 3–4 lines of text and the PDFs attached. By mail — a cover letter (送付状): date, to whom, from whom, list of enclosed documents, 以上. What comes next: job interviews in Japan.

Common mistakes

Check before you send

  • Your name spelled differently on the resume, the residence card and the visa documents.
  • Dates that differ between the rirekisho and the shokumu keirekisho; 2026年 and 令和8年 mixed.
  • Gaps in the years with no explanation. Studying, caring for family, looking for work — say so in one line.
  • No major on your degree. For a work visa it must fit the job.
  • A language level like “about N2” without a certificate. Write only what you have passed; if you are preparing, write “N2 受験予定” (“plan to take N2”).
  • Duties only, with no results or numbers.
  • One resume for every job: the reasons for applying must name this company and this job.
  • Errors in kanji and in certificate names. Ask a Japanese friend or teacher to check the text.
  • An old photo and an old date at the top.

Download

Samples with English hints

Every name, school, company, country and address in the samples is invented. The blue and gray hints are for you only: a real resume does not have them.

履歴書 · 2 pages

Sample rirekisho

The ministry’s form, filled in: a graduate from abroad with experience in logistics looks for a job in Japan. A hint next to every field; on page 2, an English translation of the text.

Download (PDF)

職務経歴書 · 2 pages

Sample shokumu keirekisho

The same person: career summary, work history in tables with results, skills, languages and self-promotion. An English translation at the end.

Download (PDF)

Template · Word

Blank shokumu keirekisho

Japanese headings and tables for two jobs, hints in gray. Fill it in and delete the hints before you send it.

Download (Word)

The ministry’s blank rirekisho: PDF, A4 · Excel, A4 · all formats on the ministry’s website.

Deadlines

Deadlines, and what happens if you miss them

What When If you miss it
Date at the top of the resume the day you send it or go to the interview an old date looks like a resume sent to everyone
The company’s reply to your documents usually a few days to a couple of weeks — the company sets it no reply — ask politely by email
Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) if you come from abroad usually 1–3 months to process dates in your resume that do not match — questions from immigration and delays
Change of status in Japan usually 1–2 months to process allow time before your start date
Notification to immigration about a new contract 14 days a fine of up to ¥200,000

Linked to your visa

Your resume and your work status

Linked to your visa.

  • Your major matters more than your job title. For the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services status you need a degree in a field related to the job, a related diploma from a Japanese vocational school (専門学校, senmon gakkō) or 10 years of experience; for international services (translation, language teaching and similar) — 3 years of experience, which a degree replaces only for translation and language teaching. Write your faculty and major in full under 学歴.
  • Category 3 and 4 companies submit your resume to immigration. The category depends on whether the company is listed or public and on how much income tax it withholds, not on its size as such; companies in categories 3 and 4 (most small and new companies) file a resume showing the organizations, the work and the periods, plus your diploma or employment certificates (在職証明書) for the years required.
  • Language. From April 15, 2026, for language-based work at a category 3–4 company you need level B2 (CEFR): for Japanese, JLPT N2 or higher or a BJT score of 400 or more (graduates of a Japanese university, college of technology or vocational school are deemed to have Japanese B2). Put the certificate under 免許・資格.
  • Do not exaggerate. Experience your certificates do not show, or a certificate you do not have, can lead to a refusal.

Engineer/Specialist visa · Certificate of Eligibility · Change of status

FAQ

Questions about Japanese resumes

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Can I send an English resume to a Japanese company?

If the job ad is in English or the company works in English, an English resume is often fine. Most Japanese companies, however, expect a Japanese rirekisho and, if you have work experience, a shokumu keirekisho. When in doubt, send the Japanese documents and add an English version only if the company asks for it.

Only if the company asks for one. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare model form has a photo box marked for use when a photo is needed. If you add one, use a recent photo about 4 by 3 cm, chest up, facing the camera, on a plain background, and write your name on the back.

A typed resume is normal today, and the model form is available as an Excel file. A few companies still ask for a handwritten one; they say so in the job ad. Then use a black pen and start a new sheet if you make a mistake.

Either is fine. What matters is that you use one system in both documents. 2026 is Reiwa 8 (令和8年) and 1998 is Heisei 10 (平成10年). The Reiwa era started on May 1, 2019, so Reiwa year = Western year minus 2018.

Write your name in Latin letters exactly as in your passport and residence card, and its reading in katakana in the furigana line above. Use the same spelling in every document you give the company and immigration.

Most applicants write 貴社の規定に従います, which means that they will follow the company’s rules. You can add the earliest date you can start work, for example after your change of status of residence is approved. Do not list salary demands here unless you have a real condition.

List it if it relates to the job you are applying for, for example translation or customer service in a related field. Show the hours as within your part-time work permission. Unrelated part-time jobs are usually left out of the career history.

Study → Find a job → Work → Taxes → PR or leave

From student to working in Japan — and where you are on the way

  1. Studylanguage school · part-time up to 28 h a week
  2. Find a jobresume, interviews, shūkatsuYou are here
  3. Workcontract, pay, your first 30 days
  4. Taxestaxes, insurance and pension
  5. PR or leavea clean record for PR — or the pension refund

Sources

Where this information comes from

Rates, limits and deadlines on this page were checked against the official websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Hello Work and the Immigration Services Agency, and against the texts of the laws on October 7, 2026. Amounts are in Japanese yen. When a rule changes we update the page and the date above.

This page is general information. The employer decides what documents it wants and how it reads them; the Immigration Services Agency decides on your status of residence.

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