Share of women
58.8%
Product inspection (excluding metal products). Machine inspection: 24.1%(MHLW)
Applicants, Trade Skill Test “Machine Inspection”
15,573
FY2025. 8,573 passed(MHLW)
QC Certification Grade 3 test takers
18,457
41st exam (Mar 2026). Pass rate 50.48%(Japanese Standards Association, QC Certification Center (日本規格協会 品質管理検定センター))
01The work
| Inspection (quality inspector) | Incoming, in-process and outgoing inspection. Measuring dimensions with calipers, micrometers and coordinate measuring machines, visual inspection, record keeping. |
|---|---|
| Quality control (QC) | Managing process quality data (control charts, process capability), analyzing causes of defects and countermeasures, writing work standards. |
| Quality assurance (QA) | Handling customer complaints and reports, running ISO 9001, IATF 16949 and similar systems, audits, change management, traceability. |
The content of the job changes between car parts (lots of audits and paperwork), food and pharmaceuticals (hygiene regulations), electronic components (inspection is increasingly automated) and contracted inspection work (author’s summary).
02Job demand
There are no statistics for QC and QA alone, so we show inspection occupations as the closest categories. Machine inspection rose to 1.45 in July 2026 (1.12 a year earlier).
REF / Sources
- 一般職業紹介状況（長期時系列表 第21表）・雇用関係指標（年度） — Employment Referrals for General Workers (long-term time series, Table 21) and annual employment indicators (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), released May and Aug 2026 (FY2025 figures))Jobs-to-applicants ratio (有効求人倍率) for regular jobs at Hello Work, including part-time; not seasonally adjusted. Does not include openings on private job sites or through recruitment agencies.
03Pay (estimated annual pay)
These are figures for inspection occupations. QA and QC engineers fall under the “engineer” categories and are not included here.
REF / Sources
- 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査 — Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (full-time workers, by occupation) (MHLW, published Mar 2026)Full-time (general) workers at companies with 10+ employees, men and women combined. The "estimated annual pay" is our own calculation — monthly scheduled cash earnings × 12 + annual bonuses — not an official annual income figure.
04Qualifications and licenses
- Quality Control Certification（品質管理検定／QC検定）, grades 1–4
- Run by the Japanese Standards Association（日本規格協会）. At the 41st exam (Mar 2026), Grade 2 had 6,644 test takers with a 27.15% pass rate, and Grade 3 had 18,457 with 50.48%. Grades 3 and 4 are computer-based (CBT).
- National Trade Skill Test（技能検定）“Machine Inspection”（機械検査）
- A national test. Grade 3 has many test takers and is an accessible entry point.
- ISO 9001 internal auditor (private training)
- Useful in quality assurance. There are no official statistics.
- No license is required for the work
- In-house qualifications and customer requirements are what mainly count.
REF / Sources
- 第41回QC検定 受検データ — 41st Quality Control Certification (QC検定) exam data (Japanese Standards Association, QC Certification Center (日本規格協会 品質管理検定センター), Apr 22, 2026)
- 令和7年度「技能検定」の実施状況 — National Trade Skill Test（技能検定）results, FY2025 (MHLW, Aug 17, 2026)
05Rules at work
Overtime cap（時間外労働の上限規制）
Applies as it does for other jobs (large companies from April 2019, SMEs from April 2020). Overtime in inspection is 11–14 hours a month, about the same as all occupations (11 hours).
REF: MHLW, “時間外労働の上限規制（働き方改革特設サイト） — Overtime cap (Work Style Reform website)”
06Who it suits
A rough guide based on the work itself. Even if these don’t describe you, it can be worth finding out on a visit or trial shift.
- You notice small differences and keep careful records
- You want to think through “why did this defect happen?” with numbers
- You can stick to the set standards even when things get busy
07What to check on a visit or trial shift
CHECKLIST / Quality control & assurance (tick as you go)
What to bring and wear, and the points common to every job, are in the how-to guide.
REF / Sources for this page
- 一般職業紹介状況（長期時系列表 第21表）・雇用関係指標（年度） — Employment Referrals for General Workers (long-term time series, Table 21) and annual employment indicators (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), released May and Aug 2026 (FY2025 figures))Jobs-to-applicants ratio (有効求人倍率) for regular jobs at Hello Work, including part-time; not seasonally adjusted. Does not include openings on private job sites or through recruitment agencies.
- 令和7年賃金構造基本統計調査 — Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (full-time workers, by occupation) (MHLW, published Mar 2026)Full-time (general) workers at companies with 10+ employees, men and women combined. The "estimated annual pay" is our own calculation — monthly scheduled cash earnings × 12 + annual bonuses — not an official annual income figure.
- 令和7年度「技能検定」の実施状況 — National Trade Skill Test（技能検定）results, FY2025 (MHLW, Aug 17, 2026)
- 第41回QC検定 受検データ — 41st Quality Control Certification (QC検定) exam data (Japanese Standards Association, QC Certification Center (日本規格協会 品質管理検定センター), Apr 22, 2026)
- 時間外労働の上限規制（働き方改革特設サイト） — Overtime cap (Work Style Reform website) (MHLW, applies from Apr 2019 (large companies) and Apr 2020 (SMEs))
NEXT → VISIT / TRIAL SHIFT
Quality control & assurance:
see the workplace before you join.
Apply for a visit or trial shift in the app, with no résumé or interview.
Find a workplace on CuraThe Cura app is in Japanese.