Shigoto Zukan
日本語

How to become 精神科医education, training, experience, licenses and the steps to enter

Japan Healthcare Confidence ★★★★☆

Average annual pay
¥15.12M
≈ $96,169
Top pay (est.)
¥31.45M
Top 10% ¥26.01M
Pay in 5 years
¥17.21Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥19.59Mest.
¥16.85M–¥22.74M
Outlook score
71/100
★★★★☆ Good
AI replacement risk
28%
Low
Labor demand
High
Openings-to-applicants 1.95x

How to become 精神科医

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)
精神科医として仕事をするには、医師国家試験に合格して医師免許を取得することが必須である。まず、大学医学部で6年間にわたって専門的な知識を身につけ、同時に実習も行う。大学の卒業試験に合格すると国家試験を受験することができる。国家試験に合格すると、医師免許が与えられる。更に大学病院や大病院などの臨床研修病院で研修医として2年間の臨床研修を積み、実際の患者を診察しながら知識を身につける。この研修終了後に精神科に所属して精神科医になる。所定の要件を満たせば専門医に認定される制度がある。
　臨床研修後には、病院などに勤務医として勤め、多くの経験を積んでいく。勤務先の病院で診療科長になるケースや、独立して開業医となるケースがある。大学で研究を続けながら講師や教授になることもある。
　専門知識に加えて、様々な表現・行動をとる患者に接して診療を行うため、冷静な判断力、患者を否定しない温かな対応が求められる。

Skills, education and requirements for 精神科医

Key skills

Active Listening
5.2
Social Perceptiveness
5.2
Speaking
4.8
Writing
4.7
Reading Comprehension
4.7
Service Orientation
4.6
Persuasion
4.6
Instructing
4.4

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Medicine and Dentistry
3.2
Therapy and Counseling
3.0
Psychology
2.9
Sociology and Anthropology
2.4
Education and Training
2.2
Public Safety and Security
2.1
Customer and Personal Service
2.1
Law and Government
2.0

What the work involves

Assisting and Caring for OthersMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Important abilities

Problem SensitivityOral ComprehensionOral ExpressionWritten ComprehensionWritten ExpressionInductive Reasoning

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: ★★★★★ Hard to enter (from education, training, experience, licenses)

Career path and how to earn more as 精神科医

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.