Japan's National Sign-Language Interpreter Exam (2026): Pass Rates, Content and Study Methods

Introduction

The National Sign-Language Interpreter Certification Exam is the gateway that everyone aiming to become a sign-language interpreter in Japan must pass. Yet information about the exam is scattered across the web, and there is almost no material that pulls it together systematically.

In this article I have gathered everything a prospective candidate needs to know: from the structure of the exam and the latest pass-rate data to concrete study methods for the written test and the impact of the Sign Language Policy Promotion Act enacted in June 2025.

Pass rates have been trending downward in recent years, which makes an accurate grasp of the exam's latest developments more important than ever.

Overview of the National Exam

The National Sign-Language Interpreter Certification Exam is written by the National Sign Language Training Center (a social welfare corporation) and administered by the deaf-related organizations of each prefecture and government-designated city. It is held simultaneously nationwide in early December each year, and is commonly abbreviated as the "national exam" (touitsu shiken).

Those who pass become "persons qualified to serve as sign-language interpreters" and can work as registered interpreters in their prefecture. Note that Osaka Prefecture alone uses its own independent registration-exam system and does not participate in the national exam.

Exam Dates & Schedule

Applications are made directly to the administering organization in each prefecture. Application methods vary by locality: some prefectures accept postal applications only, some require you to apply in person, and others support online forms. I recommend contacting your prefecture's administering organization early.

Exam Content (Written + Practical)

Written Exam (100 minutes)

The written exam is made up of two fields: "basic knowledge required for sign-language interpreting" and "Japanese language."

Basic knowledge (20 questions, multiple choice) — the legal framework of disability welfare, the basics of hearing disability, the philosophy and ethics of sign-language interpreting, the interpreter registration system, the fundamentals of social work, and more. Questions are drawn broadly from across the whole text.

Japanese language — pronunciation and accent; vocabulary (synonyms, homophones, idioms, four-character compounds); grammar (parts of speech, sentence structure); orthography (reading and writing kanji, kana usage, notation); and reading comprehension and summarizing. Accurate command of Japanese is indispensable to sign-language interpreting, so the Japanese-language section is not to be underestimated.

Practical Exam (Scenario Interpreting)

In front of a video camera, you interpret in a set scenario (a government service counter, a hospital, a school, and so on). Both listening interpretation and reading interpretation are assessed.

Trends in the Pass Rate

The exam's pass rate is not officially made public. It appears only on the results notice sent to each candidate; the precise statistics are held by the National Sign Language Training Center.

Generally, the pass rate has hovered in the 10–20% range over the years, but it is said to have been trending downward recently. The passing standard is roughly 70% for the written exam and 75% for the practical, and you must clear both.

Behind the falling pass rate may lie a tightening of practical-exam grading, a shift in the candidate pool (more inexperienced candidates who have only just finished a training course), and a qualitative change in the questions that now demand up-to-date knowledge of laws such as the Act on the Accessibility of Information to Persons with Disabilities.

Prefecture-by-Prefecture Data

There are wide disparities in pass rates between prefectures. This is attributed to differences in how well developed the training courses are and how many opportunities candidates have to interact with Deaf people. In some prefectures not a single person passes, while others far exceed the national average.

Where nobody passes, it means no new sign-language interpreters are produced in that prefecture that year, making the assurance of information access—including in disasters—a serious challenge.

List of Set Texts

The scope of the written exam follows the official texts below (FY2025 editions).

Errata for the texts are published on the National Sign Language Training Center's website.

How to Study for the Written Exam

Preparing for the Basic-Knowledge Section

Analysis of past papers shows that questions on "Introduction to Disability Welfare" and "The Mindset of the Sign-Language Interpreter" come up especially often, and the legal-framework topics—the Basic Act for Persons with Disabilities, the Act on Welfare of Physically Disabled Persons, the Comprehensive Support Act for Persons with Disabilities—are the most important themes, appearing every year.

The most efficient order of study is to first read through the entire text to get the big picture, then work through past papers to grasp the question patterns, and return to the text to dig deeper into anything you got wrong—repeating that cycle.

Preparing for the Japanese-Language Section

The Japanese-language section is one where "effort pays off," but neglect it and it becomes an unexpected trap. Focus in particular on these four areas:

• Idioms and four-character compounds — expressions such as gori-muchu (utterly at a loss), garyo-tensei (the finishing touch) and chorei-bokai (constantly changing orders) come up, including ones you rarely use day to day
• Honorifics — distinguishing respectful, humble and polite forms. Because sign-language interpreting requires switching honorific registers to fit the setting, this is an area that ties directly into the work
• Homophones — pairs like igai ("besides" / "unexpected") and taisho ("target" / "contrast" / "symmetry"). In interpreting you need the ability to catch the spoken word accurately and recall the right kanji
• Reading and writing kanji — the correct readings of specialist terms in welfare and medicine

The Sign Language Policy Promotion Act and Its Impact

On June 18, 2025, Japan's first law dedicated specifically to sign language—the "Act on the Promotion of Policies Concerning Sign Language" (the Sign Language Policy Promotion Act)—was passed unanimously at a plenary session of the House of Representatives and enacted, taking effect on June 25.

The law establishes at the national level, in legal terms, that sign language is a language and an important means of communication, and it designates September 23 as "Sign Language Day." The promotion of sign language and the securing of sign-language interpreters are set out as duties of the national and local governments.

In addition, November 2025 saw Japan host its first Deaflympics, in Tokyo, making it a year in which public interest in sign language rose to an unprecedented level.

These developments are affecting the national exam too. The recent rise in candidate numbers is thought to reflect this heightened public interest. Going forward, there are hopes for expanded training budgets and for a ripple effect reaching the remaining six prefectures that have yet to enact a sign-language ordinance.

"Interpreter" vs. "Certified Interpreter"

According to official MHLW data, the number of registered certified sign-language interpreters nationwide is 4,375 (as of March 2026). The Sign Language Policy Promotion Act (in effect since June 2025) sets out the securing of sign-language interpreters as a duty of national and local governments, and the training and securing of interpreters has become a societal challenge.

Preparing for the Written Exam with an App

Conclusion