Applying for a job in Japan usually means two documents, not one. The rirekisho (履歴書) is a fixed-format resume: one sheet, the same boxes for everyone. The shokumukeirekisho (職務経歴書) is a free-format career history sheet, one or two pages, where you describe what you actually did. We built a template for each. The rirekisho follows the format the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) published in 2021, which means the gender field is optional and there are no boxes for commute time, dependents, or spouse. Both templates are free for immit jobs subscribers.
If you have a JLPT or BJT result, the part most guides skip is where to put it and how to word it. This article covers that, along with the questions non-Japanese applicants run into most: how to write your name and address, which calendar to use, and what to do about a gap in your work history. One thing first: if a posting asks only for an English CV, you do not need either of these. Read the application instructions before you start.
A rirekisho answers "who are you and where have you been." A shokumukeirekisho answers "what can you do." Japanese employers read them together, and many online application forms have an upload slot for each.
The rirekisho has a standard layout. Until 2020, the de facto standard was a sample form attached to a JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) document. The standards body withdrew that sample in July 2020, and in 2021 the MHLW published its own sample format (PDF, Japanese). Compared with the JIS form, the MHLW version drops the male/female checkbox in favor of an optional gender field, and removes the fields for commute time, number of dependents, spouse, and spousal support. The MHLW's guidance on fair hiring (Japanese) tells employers to use this format for general applicants and to leave out questions unrelated to ability. Many English-language guides online still describe the older form. Our template uses the 2021 one.
The shokumukeirekisho has no fixed layout. Hello Work, the public employment service, publishes a guide to writing one (PDF, Japanese) that recommends one to two A4 pages and a small set of standard sections. Our template follows it.
When you need both: the posting says 履歴書・職務経歴書, or the form has two upload slots, or the posting is in Japanese and says nothing about format. the posting says 英文レジュメ可 (English resume accepted) or asks for a CV or resume in English. When in doubt, send both; a Japanese-format set sent to a company that did not require it costs you nothing.
Subscribers to immit jobs get both files by email:
Rirekisho template (Google Sheets, copy to your Drive, prints to A4). Japanese-only form, so you can submit it as is, with an English guide on a second tab.
Shokumukeirekisho template (Google Docs). Section headings in Japanese with English notes to delete before sending, plus a filled-in sample for a customer support role.
Subscribe to immit jobs and the download link arrives with your confirmation email. The newsletter itself is a biweekly list of jobs in Japan that require business-level or higher Japanese, with the Japanese requirement quoted from each posting.
Write the date you submit, in Western years (2026年11月12日). Pick one calendar and use it everywhere on both documents; mixing Western years with Reiwa years is the most common formatting slip.
The MHLW form marks the photo space 写真をはる必要がある場合 (if a photo is required). The older JIS form specified 36 to 40 mm tall by 24 to 30 mm wide, and the MHLW form gives no size, so that size is still the safe choice. Head and shoulders, plain background, business attire. Photo booths at stations print this size directly.
Write your name exactly as it appears on your residence card or passport, in the alphabet, in the same order. In the ふりがな row above it, write the pronunciation in katakana. Employers use the furigana to say your name correctly on the phone, so match it to how you want to be addressed.
Copy your address as it appears on your residence card or resident record, starting with the postal code after the 〒 mark, then prefecture, city, and so on. The ふりがな row above it is for the pronunciation of the place names. The second block, 連絡先, is only for a different contact address; if it is the same, write 同上 (same as above). If you are applying from outside Japan, write your overseas address in Japanese order (country first) and leave 連絡先 blank.
The header says 各別にまとめて書く: list education and work history in separate blocks, each oldest first. Write 学歴 centered on its own line, then one line per entry (year, month, school, and 入学 or 卒業). Start from high school. For schools outside Japan, add the country if it is not in the name. Then write 職歴 centered, and one line per company: year, month, company name, and 入社 or 退社. A department or role can follow the company name on the same line.
End the list with 以上 aligned to the right. If you are currently employed, write 現在に至る on the line after your current job, then 以上 on the next line.
Licenses and qualifications, oldest first, with year and month and the official name. This is where your Japanese level goes; the next section covers the wording.
Four to six sentences on why this company and this role. Keep it specific to the posting. If you are writing the same motivation for several companies, the problem will show.
The header says to use this box for preferences on salary, job type, working hours, and location. The common entry is 貴社規定に従います (I will follow your company's regulations). Use the box for hard constraints only, such as an earliest start date tied to a visa change.
Postings describe the Japanese requirement in many ways, as we found when we read four live postings for the first article in this series. Your resume should give the reader something concrete to compare against.
Write the test, the level, and the result month. The JLPT does not issue a score-only certificate, so the entry is pass or nothing:
2025年12月 日本語能力試験（JLPT）N2 合格
2026年6月 BJTビジネス日本語能力テスト J2（480点）
Use the level you hold. If you took N1 and did not pass, list N2 if you have it, and leave N1 out. Since the December 2025 test, JLPT score reports also show a CEFR reference level based on your total score; you may add it in parentheses if the posting uses CEFR, as some companies do. The BJT is scored from 0 to 800 and reports a level from J5 to J1+, so write both the level and the score.
A test result says what you can read and hear. The career history sheet is where you show what you did in Japanese. Under each job, name the situations: internal meetings, customer or client contact, and written documents. One line each is enough:
社内会議・報告はすべて日本語（チームの日本人比率 8 割）
日本語でのメール・チャット対応（1 日 20〜30 件）
If a job was in English, say so. A reader who sees "all internal communication in Japanese" at your last job learns more than from any test name.
Do not describe yourself as ビジネスレベル or "business level" in the qualifications field. It is not a qualification, and the posting may define it differently from you. Put the test result in 免許・資格 and the evidence in the career history sheet, and let the employer draw the line.
The Hello Work guide lists one required section and a menu of optional ones. Our template uses this set:
職務要約: a three- to five-line summary of your career so far.
職務経歴: for each employer, the period, company name and a one-line description of its business, your department and title, your duties, and results. Oldest first is the default the guide recommends; newest first is also accepted. Give numbers where you have them.
活かせる経験・知識・スキル: the skills that transfer to the role you are applying for.
語学: Japanese and English, with test results and the working situations described above.
自己PR: a short paragraph on how you work, written for this role.
Keep it to two A4 pages. Date it to match the rirekisho and put your name under the title.
The MHLW's fair-hiring guidance asks employers to judge on ability and aptitude, and the Hello Work guide suggests, for short stays, stating what you learned and giving a forward-looking reason for leaving. For a gap, one factual line in 職務経歴 is enough (for example, 2024年4月〜2024年12月 日本語学習のため休職, or a return to your home country for family reasons). You do not need to justify it in detail on paper. Be ready to answer a question about it in the interview.
職務経歴書（A4 2枚以内）: career history sheet, two A4 pages or fewer.
英文レジュメ可 or 英語の履歴書でも可: an English CV is accepted.
日本語の履歴書必須: the Japanese-format rirekisho is required.
書類選考: document screening; these two documents are the whole first round.
When a posting lists requirements but no format, send both documents in Japanese. In the immit jobs newsletter, we note the required documents for each job when the posting states them.
What is a resume called in Japanese?
履歴書 (rirekisho) is the fixed-format resume. 職務経歴書 (shokumukeirekisho) is the career history sheet. Postings that say 履歴書・職務経歴書 want both.
Is a Japanese CV the same as a resume?
In English usage the words overlap. In a Japanese application, the shokumukeirekisho is the closest thing to a CV, and the rirekisho is a personal data form with a short history.
Do Japanese resumes have to be handwritten?
Not unless the posting says so. Typed is standard for mid-career applications. If a posting says 手書き, it means handwritten; otherwise type it.
Which JLPT level can I put on my resume?
The highest level you have passed, with the month and year. If you have no JLPT result, leave the line out rather than estimating a level.
Should I write my name in katakana or in the alphabet?
Alphabet in the 氏名 box, as on your residence card; katakana in the ふりがな row.
How do I explain a gap in employment?
One factual line in the career history sheet with the period and the reason. Details belong in the interview.
This article is general information about application documents in Japan, not advice on any individual application. Requirements vary by employer; follow the instructions in the posting.
