Shigoto Zukan
日本語

How to become あんまマッサージ指圧師education, training, experience, licenses and the steps to enter

Japan Healthcare Confidence ★★★★★

Average annual pay
¥4.54M
≈ $28,881
Top pay (est.)
¥7.54M
Top 10% ¥6.54M
Pay in 5 years
¥5.22Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥6.00Mest.
¥5.16M–¥6.97M
Outlook score
56/100
★★★☆☆ Average
AI replacement risk
13%
Very low
Labor demand
High
Openings-to-applicants 1.88x

How to become あんまマッサージ指圧師

The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.

Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
医療行為の「あん摩マッサージ指圧」を行うには、厚生労働大臣の免許が必要で、施術にあたるには、原則として高校卒業後、文部科学大臣か厚生労働大臣が認定する学校や養成施設で決められた期間（3年以上）学習し、国家試験に合格の上、名簿登録されて免許の交付を受ける必要がある。あん摩、マッサージ、指圧はそれぞれ独自の歴史を持つ技術であるが、基本的動作が似ていることもあって、法律上は一つの資格になっている。「はり」と「きゅう」は「あん摩マッサ－ジ指圧師」とは別種の資格だが、施術上関係が深く、両方の資格を取得している人も多い。
　独立開業が可能で、自分一人で治療ができ、年齢に関係なく仕事が続けられるため、社会人や定年退職者が養成施設で勉強し、参入するケースが多く見られる。資格取得後は施術施設に勤務して技術を磨き、経験を積んでから独立開業するのが一般的である。
　施術の仕事は、疾病予防、治療、健康保持・増進を図るもので、国家試験の受験には、高度な学習が要求される。医学全般の知識のほか、治療の現場で患者の話を聞き、アドバイスする能力や継続して技術を磨く向上心が必要である。

Skills, education and requirements for あんまマッサージ指圧師

Key skills

Active Listening
4.7
Social Perceptiveness
4.2
Speaking
4.1
Reading Comprehension
3.9
Monitoring
3.8
Service Orientation
3.7
Instructing
3.6
Writing
3.4

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Medicine and Dentistry
3.2
Customer and Personal Service
3.0
Therapy and Counseling
2.9
Psychology
2.1
Sales and Marketing
1.6
Administrative
1.3
Communications and Media
1.3
Administration and Management
1.2

What the work involves

Assisting and Caring for OthersGetting InformationMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsPerforming General Physical ActivitiesUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsScheduling Work and Activities

Important abilities

Problem SensitivityStatic StrengthManual DexterityFinger DexterityOral ComprehensionStamina

Licenses and certifications (Japan)

Related qualifications listed on job tag (names in Japanese). Some are mandatory, others recommended.

Education of workers

Training before entry

Related work experience

Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience, licenses)

Career path and how to earn more as あんまマッサージ指圧師

Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), Population Census and Hello Work employment statistics as published on the MHLW job tag site (retrieved Nov 1, 2026); Occupational Information Database (JILPT). Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.