National Medical Licensing Examination (Japan)医師国家試験

Overview

The Ishi Kokka Shiken is the national licensing examination for doctors in Japan. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) holds it once a year under the Medical Practitioners Act. It tests the medical and public health knowledge and skills a doctor needs for clinical practice. Passing it is the step between finishing medical school and receiving a medical licence.

Who can apply

You can sit the exam if you fall into one of these groups:

• You graduated, or expect to graduate by 9 March 2027, from the regular medical course of a university under Japan's School Education Act. Graduates from 1 April 2025 onwards must also have passed the common university examination that checks knowledge and skills before clinical training begins. Those who graduated before 1 April 2025 are exempt from that condition.

• You passed the Medical Practitioners Preliminary Examination and then completed at least one year of practical training in clinical care and public health (or expect to finish by 9 March 2027).

• You graduated from a foreign medical school or hold a foreign medical licence, and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare has recognised your knowledge and skills as equal to or above the groups above.

• You were treated as a licensed doctor under the Okinawa reversion ordinance and the Minister has recognised you.

Exam pattern

For the 121st exam, the content is defined as the medicine and public health knowledge and skills a doctor must have. The exam runs over two days. It has a compulsory section and a general and clinical section. The compulsory section scores general questions at 1 point each and clinical practical questions at 3 points each. Other questions score 1 point each.

For the 121st exam, the test centres are Hokkaido, Miyagi, Tokyo, Niigata, Aichi, Ishikawa, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kagawa, Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Okinawa. Specific venues are told to candidates with the admission ticket.

Marking and results

Pass marks are set each year. For the 120th exam (February 2026), a candidate had to meet all three conditions:

• At least 160 out of 200 in the compulsory section.

• At least 224 out of 300 in the remaining general and clinical practical questions.

• Three or fewer prohibited-choice questions answered.

In the 120th exam, 10,244 people applied and 9,980 sat the exam. 9,139 passed, an overall pass rate of 91.6%. Among first-time graduates, 9,205 sat and 8,716 passed, a rate of 94.7%.

Important dates

For the 121st exam:

• Application forms available from mid-October 2026.

• Requests for special arrangements for visual, hearing or speech impairments: by 1 October 2026.

• Application period: 2 November 2026 to 30 November 2026. Postal applications need a postmark no later than 30 November 2026.

• Admission tickets: posted in early January 2027. Contact the exam office if yours has not arrived by 25 January 2027.

• Exam dates: Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2027.

• Final graduation certificate (for those who applied on expected graduation): due by 2 pm on 9 March 2027.

• Results: 2 pm on Tuesday 16 March 2027, published on the MHLW website by test centre and examinee number.

Fees

For the 121st exam, the fee is 15,300 yen, paid with revenue stamps stuck on the application form without cancelling them. The fee is not refunded once documents are accepted. Applicants also supply a self-addressed return envelope with registered-mail postage (590 yen stamps for the envelope specified in the notice).

How to apply

1. Get the application form, instructions and photo mount from your university, or request them by post or at a temporary exam office.

2. Fill in the form using the name as written in your family register (or residence card or equivalent for foreign residents).

3. Attach a photo taken within the last six months, 6 cm by 4 cm, on the supplied mount, and have your identity confirmed against it.

4. Add the document for your eligibility group, such as a graduation certificate or certificate of expected graduation, a preliminary exam pass certificate with proof of practical training, or a copy of the recognition certificate.

5. Attach the revenue stamps and the return envelope, then submit in person at a temporary office (weekdays, 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00) or send by registered post to the Medical Practitioners Examination Operation Office in Tokyo.

Once documents are accepted, they cannot be returned and the test centre cannot be changed. If you applied on expected graduation and do not submit the final certificate by the deadline, the attempt is generally void.

After the exam

Results are published on the MHLW website. Passing is the qualification step towards registration as a doctor. The sources used here do not cover licence registration, so check the ministry for that process.

FAQs