Exam Overview

Purpose of the exam

The METI is increasing its acceptance of "Type 2 Specified Skilled Worker " in the Industrial product manufacturing . Type 2 Specified Skilled Worker are required to possess advanced skills acquired through many years of practical experience, which means, for example, being able to perform highly specialized and technical tasks based on their own judgment, or being able to perform tasks with skilled abilities while supervising and overseeing operations.
To confirm the relevant skill level, we will conduct the "SSW(ii) Exam for Industrial Product Manufacturing."

Requirements for acquiring the manufacturing industry Specified Skilled Worker 2 human resources Status of Residenceare important

• The ideal candidate for position #2 is someone with advanced skills gained through practical experience, who can lead, guide, and supervise on-site workers .
• To obtain a Status of Residence, you must meet the requirements of one of two routes. In either route, you will need at least three years of practical experience in the manufacturing sector of a company with a base in Japan.

Specified Skilled Worker No. 2 Evaluation Examination Route

All three of the following conditions must be met . Obtained Business Career Qualification Level 3 (Either production management planning category or production management operations category) Passing the SSW(ii) Exam for Industrial Product Manufacturing (One of the following categories: Machining and metal processing, Electric and electronic equipment assembly, or Metal surface treatment) Applicants must have at least three years of practical experience in the manufacturing sector of a company based in Japan. This is required when applying for the Type 2 evaluation test.

Skills Test Route

The following two conditions must both be met . Obtained Level 1 Skills Proficiency Test certification (Any of the following: Casting, Forging, Die casting, Machining, Metal press, Iron work, Factory sheet metal work work, Electroplating, Aluminum anodizing, Finishing, Machine inspection, Machine maintenance, Electronic equipment assembling, Electric equipment assembling, Print wiring board manufacturing, Plastic molding, Painting, or Industrial packaging) Applicants must have at least three years of practical experience in the manufacturing sector of a company based in Japan. This is required when filing a notification with the Immigration Services Agency.

Exam Overview

Examination Category	3 categories Machining and metal processing division, Electric and electronic equipment assembly division, Metal surface treatment division
Test location	Test centers provided by Prometric, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "Prometric") (Japan: throughout the country)
Exam time	Practical exam only: 80 minutes For the written exam, please take the Business Career Certification Level 3 exam separately.
Test implementation method	CBT (Computer-Based Testing) method (practical skills) Practical Exam: Questions that require you to read about actual work processes and materials and choose the correct answer. Related materials for the No. 2 exam can be found here.
Criteria for passing or failing	Correct answer rate of 60% or higher
Language	Japanese
Test level	In light of the requirement that Specified Skilled Worker must possess a level of expertise and skills equivalent to or exceeding that of foreign nationals with existing Status of Residence in professional and technical fields, the standard will be based on the level of the National Skills Proficiency Test Level 1.
Eligibility Requirements	In principle, applicants must be foreign nationals aged 17 or older (18 or older if Indonesian national) on the day of the examination, and must intend to work in Japan if they pass the examination. Applicants must have at least three years of practical experience in the manufacturing sector of a company with a base in Japan by the day before the exam. You will need to submit a " Certificate of Work Experience " proving the above-mentioned work experience and obtain an eligibility confirmation number.
application	Prometric SSW(ii) Exam for Industrial Product Manufacturing Dedicated Page
Identification documents on the day of the exam	Prometric requires identification documents. For any reason whatsoever, you may not take the exam using a "copy" or any other certificate not listed above.
Examination fee	All examination categories Examination fee: 15,000 yen
Method of notifying pass/fail results	Log in to the Prometric reservation site and confirm within 5 business days from the day after the exam date.

Schedule and test locations

	Application period for obtaining an eligibility confirmation number (submission period for work experience certificate)	Exam application period	Exam period	Test location
1st	May 18, 2026 (Monday) 9:00~ Applications accepted until 18:00 on Friday, May 29th. All times are Japan Standard Time.	Monday, June 8, 2026 10:00 to Wednesday, July 15, 2026 All times are Japan Standard Time.	July 29, 2026 (Wednesday) - August 1, 2026 (Saturday)	Domestic only
2nd time	Under adjustment	Around October 2026	Around November 2026
3rd	Under adjustment	Around January 2027	Around February 2027

Application for Exam

Applications are currently closed.
For information about the exam, please see the dedicated page for the Prometric SSW(ii) Exam for Industrial Product Manufacturing .

• You can view the multilingual page by switching to the "LANGUAGE" button in the header.

Please note that you will need your "Eligibility Confirmation Number" to apply for the exam.
The application period differs from the exam application period, so please check the information below and apply for certification in advance.

Obtaining an eligibility confirmation number

Those taking the Specified Skilled Worker No. 2 Evaluation Examination for the first time should prepare their "Certificate of Work Experience" as soon as possible and apply for an "Examination Eligibility Confirmation Number." Even those who took the exam in 2023 need to obtain an Examination Eligibility Confirmation Number, so please be sure to apply.

• Those who have already obtained an eligibility confirmation number for the 2024 academic year or later can reuse the same number (there is no need to apply for a new number for each exam).

Application period (Japan time)

• First round: Applications accepted from May 18th (Mon) 9:00 to May 29th (Fri) 18:00, 2026.
• Part 2: Under adjustment
• 3rd: Under adjustment