Japan has two sign language interpreting credentials whose names differ by a single character: shuwa tsūyaku-shi (手話通訳士, "certified interpreter") and shuwa tsūyaku-sha (手話通訳者, "registered interpreter"). Many people assume these are two ways of saying the same thing. They are separate credentials, with different administering bodies, different legal footing, and different exam calendars.
This article covers the Sign Language Interpreting Skills Certification Examination — the exam that leads to the tsūyaku-shi title — using only information that can be verified against official sources. It then sets the two credentials side by side.
What the certified interpreter credential is
The formal name of the exam is the Sign Language Interpreting Skills Certification Examination (手話通訳技能認定試験). It is administered by the Japanese Information and Culture Center for the Deaf (社会福祉法人 聴力障害者情報文化センター).
Here is where it diverges most sharply from the unified exam: this examination rests on a government ordinance. The Center administers the exam and maintains the interpreter register under the Ministerial Ordinance on the Accreditation of Businesses Examining and Certifying the Knowledge and Skills of Persons Performing Sign Language Interpreting (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 96, 31 March 2009), having received accreditation from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Put another way: this is a credential examined and registered by a body the Minister has accredited under a national ordinance. It is not a kokka shikaku (statutory national qualification) in the strict sense, but its grounding in an ordinance places it in a different category from a purely private certificate.
How it differs from the national unified exam
The two credentials, side by side.
| Certified interpreter (tsūyaku-shi) | Registered interpreter (tsūyaku-sha) | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam name | Sign Language Interpreting Skills Certification Examination | National Unified Examination for Sign Language Interpreters |
| Administered by | Japanese Information and Culture Center for the Deaf | National Training Center for Sign Language (sets the paper) + prefectural bodies (administer it) |
| Legal basis | MHLW Ordinance No. 96 / accreditation by the Minister | Registration by each prefectural body |
| When | Written in July + practical in September (once a year, two dates) | Early December (once a year) |
| Where | Four sites only: Saitama, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka | Every prefecture |
| Eligibility | Age 20 or over | Completion of an interpreter training course, etc. |
| Fee | ¥22,000 | Varies by administering body |
| Pass rate | 13.7% cumulative (11.2% at the 36th sitting) | Not published (commonly cited as 10–20%) |
In practical terms the difference in exam locations matters most. The unified exam can be taken in your own prefecture; the certification exam is held at four sites nationwide, and because the written and practical papers fall on different dates, candidates outside those regions travel twice. Beyond the ¥22,000 fee, you should budget for transport and accommodation.
Exam content and schedule
Written paper
Four subjects: foundations of disability welfare; foundations of deaf and hard-of-hearing studies; the practice of sign language interpreting; and Japanese language. Where the unified exam's written paper covers two areas (foundational knowledge plus Japanese), the certification exam treats the practice of interpreting as a subject in its own right.
Practical paper
Two components: voice-to-sign interpreting (spoken prompt, signed response) and sign-to-voice interpreting (signed prompt, spoken response). Both directions are tested.
The 37th examination (FY2026)
| Applications | 21 April – 20 May 2026 (postmark accepted) [closed] |
| Written paper | Sunday 26 July 2026 [held] |
| Practical paper | Sunday 27 September 2026 |
| Eligibility | Age 20 or over (including those turning 20 by the end of the fiscal year) |
| Fee | ¥22,000 (tax included) |
| Sites | Saitama Prefectural University / Japan College of Social Work, Kiyose Campus / Panasonic Operational Excellence (Osaka) / Fukuoka Women's University |
For reference, at the previous sitting the written results were announced on 29 August 2025 and the final results on 30 January 2026. Nine months pass between applying and learning the outcome.
The real pass rate — 13.7% cumulative, 11.2% most recently
The administering body publishes figures for every sitting from the 1st through the 36th. Starting with the whole picture:
- Cumulative applications 34,596 / candidates sitting 32,230 / passes 4,426
- Cumulative pass rate 13.7%
That single number is misleading on its own. Lining up the last ten sittings shows how much the rate swings from year to year.
The lowest, the 27th, came in at 2.1% — 23 passes out of 1,076 candidates. The highest, the 33rd, reached 13.3%. The 35th dropped to 5.5%. Candidate numbers barely move, staying in the 1,000–1,100 range every year, yet the number who pass ranges from 23 to 146.
What can be drawn from this: when the candidate pool is stable but the number of passes moves this much, it suggests the pass rate is not determined by candidate performance alone. That said, the administering body does not publish its pass criteria, so this remains inference. What can be stated with confidence is narrower: this is an exam whose rate swings between 2.1% and 13.3%, so it is unwise to plan around passing on the first attempt.
Forty percent of those who pass are in their fifties
The age breakdown of the 36th sitting (1,113 candidates, 125 passes, 11.2%) says a good deal about the nature of this exam.
| Age group | Passes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 20s | 12 | 9.6% |
| 30s | 15 | 12.0% |
| 40s | 37 | 29.6% |
| 50s | 50 | 40.0% |
| 60 and over | 11 | 8.8% |
| Total | 125 | Mean age 47.1 |
The forties and fifties together account for 69.6%, with a mean age of 47.1. Only twelve candidates in their twenties passed.
I would not read this as "too hard for young people". Sign language interpreting demands more than signing skill: it requires command of Japanese and a working understanding of whatever subject is on the table. Medicine, law, employment, education — what comes up in an interpreting assignment is life itself, and accumulated experience converts directly into capability. The age distribution reads more naturally as evidence that this exam measures a skill that takes years to build.
Which also means that anyone starting in their twenties or thirties holds the one resource that matters most here: time.
Which one to aim for
The usual sequence is the unified exam first. Passing it makes you a prefecturally registered interpreter and gets you into dispatch assignments; you then build practical experience while working toward certification.
That said, eligibility for the certification exam is age 20 and nothing else — passing the unified exam is not a prerequisite. Sitting the certification exam directly is permitted.
Practical considerations: the certification exam runs once a year at four sites, with written and practical papers on separate dates, and travel costs on top of the ¥22,000 fee. Its pass rate swings between 2.1% and 13.3%. The unified exam, by contrast, is available in every prefecture. Entering practice via the unified exam and treating certification as a medium-term goal is, in terms of both time and money, the less strained path.
This is one view, not the only one. Training course availability and the realities of dispatch work vary considerably by region, and asking interpreters working in your own area will always tell you more than an article can.
Summary
- The two credentials are separate. Certification rests on a ministerial ordinance and ministerial accreditation; registration is handled by each prefecture.
- 13.7% cumulative, 11.2% most recently — but the range is 2.1% to 13.3%, so do not build a plan that assumes passing first time.
- FY2026 applications have closed and the written paper is done. The next chance is FY2027, with applications usually opening around April.
Nine months of lead time makes this a period for building foundations rather than rushing. Two of the four written subjects — foundations of disability welfare and of deaf and hard-of-hearing studies — overlap substantially with the unified exam, so working toward both at once is the efficient route.
Everything here is drawn from officially published information. Where figures are not published — the pass criteria, for instance — I have avoided inventing them. Please confirm exam details on the administering body's own site.
· Sign Language Interpreting Skills Certification Examination / Japanese Information and Culture Center for the Deaf
https://www.jyoubun-center.or.jp/slit/exam/
· Exam guide and applications (37th examination, FY2026)
https://www.jyoubun-center.or.jp/slit/exam/about/
· Certified interpreter system (legal basis and registration)
https://www.jyoubun-center.or.jp/slit/
· Results across the 1st to 36th examinations
https://www.jyoubun-center.or.jp/jbmain/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1-36_transition.pdf
· 36th examination (FY2025) results
https://www.jyoubun-center.or.jp/jbmain/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/36_result_summary.pdf
This article reflects information published as of 6 August 2026 and represents one reading of it. Regional and individual circumstances vary. If you spot something that needs correcting, please get in touch.