Shukatsu: Japan's Graduate Job-Hunting Season

Why Japanese university students spend months on information sessions, entry sheets and interviews, and how the shared yearly schedule shapes the process.

Published October 26, 2026 at 9:39 AM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: Shukatsu, short for shushoku katsudo, is the organized job-hunting season in which Japanese university students look for work before they graduate. It belongs to a hiring practice called shinsotsu ikkatsu saiyo, or simultaneous recruitment of new graduates, where companies hire students who start together after graduation, usually in spring. Government-led rules place the start of company outreach at March 1 of the third year and selection from June 1 of the fourth year.

Visit a Japanese university campus in spring and you may notice students in matching dark suits heading to company events. They are taking part in shukatsu, a season that shapes the final years of university life for many young people. For visitors, residents and anyone curious about Japanese work culture, it is a window into how careers traditionally begin there. This guide explains the idea behind shukatsu, the usual calendar, the steps students take, the role of internships, and how the system is changing. Details shift from year to year, so check current official guidance for exact dates.

What Shukatsu Means

Shukatsu is the common abbreviation of shushoku katsudo, which simply means job-hunting activities. The word covers everything a student does to find a job, from researching companies to attending interviews.

Japanese Wikipedia explains that students still in university who search for work usually take part in shinsotsu ikkatsu saiyo, the system of hiring new graduates all at once. The same source calls this simultaneous recruitment uncommon in other countries. Other groups also job-hunt in Japan, including recent graduates and people changing careers, and they follow a different path called mid-career hiring.

The result is a shared national rhythm. Many students search during the same months, companies run events on a similar calendar and new employees begin work together in the spring after graduation.

How the System Developed

The practice of hiring students before graduation has a long history. Japanese Wikipedia traces new graduate bulk hiring back to around 1895, with early examples among large companies and banks, and notes that it became common in the twentieth century.

Over the decades, schools, businesses and the government have tried to set a fair calendar so students can focus on their studies. A 1953 agreement between universities and companies set a start for selection, and later versions of the agreement and business federation charters moved dates around.

In 2018 the business federation Keidanren announced that it would drop its own schedule rules from the 2021 graduating class. From that point, government-led rules set the timing instead. That is why the dates below are described as a guide rather than a strict law, and why students should check the latest announcement.

The Yearly Calendar

The widely used schedule follows the university years. According to Japanese Wikipedia, company activity such as information sessions begins on March 1 of the third year, and selection begins on June 1 of the fourth year. Informal job offers, called naitei or nainaitei, are then handed out, and the traditional date for formal offers has been October 1 of the fourth year.

In practice, many students start preparing earlier. Wikipedia notes that job hunting now typically starts in the autumn of the third year, and that some informal offers can arrive as early as the spring of the fourth year. Companies differ, so students keep an eye on each firm's own announcements.

After graduation, new employees usually join at the start of the Japanese fiscal year in April, often with a ceremony welcoming the whole group.

Steps Students Take

The process has recognizable steps. Students first research industries and companies, often through online portals and campus career events. They then register their interest with companies they like, which Japanese sources call making an entry.

Many firms ask for an entry sheet, a form with the applicant's name, school and qualifications, plus several essay-style questions about motivation and self-presentation. Large companies often write their own forms, and shared services let applicants reuse prepared answers. Wikipedia describes the entry sheet as usually the first screening step.

After that come tests, interviews and sometimes group discussions. Successful applicants receive an informal offer, then continue to the final stage before joining the company.

Internships and Early Contact

Internships have become an important part of the season. Japanese Wikipedia explains that they are generally short-term work experiences for students, often third-year undergraduates in summer or spring breaks. The page says that job hunting starting with internships is now a common view, and companies may use internships to meet promising students.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology encourages longer, paid programs and well-designed learning experiences, according to the same source. Formats vary from one-day events to programs lasting weeks.

For students, internships are a way to understand a workplace before applying. It helps to read the program description carefully to see what is included and whether it is paid.

The Suit and Presentation

Visitors often notice the shukatsu suit. Wikipedia explains that the recruit suit is a suit worn by Japanese job seekers during company visits, interviews and application photos. Plain black has become the established style, and navy was long the most common color.

The suit is also worn at company entrance ceremonies, where new employees wear it on their first day. Its simple look suits the formal, polite tone of the whole season.

A respectful manner and clear speech matter just as much as clothing, since interviews are a chance to explain your motivation and strengths in your own words.

Shukatsu and Company Culture

Shukatsu connects to a broader idea about careers. In the traditional model, companies hire students without a fixed specialty, train them internally and move them between roles over time. Japanese Wikipedia notes that, because of bulk hiring, the market for mid-career hires has developed more slowly than in some other countries.

Supporters say the system gives companies a stable workforce and eases training, while critics say it can be hard on students' studies. The government has encouraged more flexible, year-round hiring, and the Wikipedia page says that expanding mid-career hiring has been named as a policy goal.

Today, many companies also run mid-career recruitment and other routes, so there are more ways to enter the workforce than there once were.

Tips for Understanding the Season

If you are a student or know someone going through shukatsu, a few ideas help. Start early, keep a calendar of deadlines and read each company's recruitment page carefully. Visit your university career center, where staff often know the local schedule.

For visitors and employers abroad, shukatsu explains why spring brings new faces in matching suits and why so many employees join a company in April. It also shows how seriously Japan treats the start of a working life.

Above all, remember that every student's path is different. The calendar is a framework, and individual companies, industries and universities may follow their own timing.

Want to go deeper? Tokyo Paul's book The Japan Salary Guide is available on Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is shukatsu in Japan?

Shukatsu is short for shushoku katsudo, meaning job-hunting activities. It usually refers to the season in which Japanese university students look for jobs before graduating, as part of simultaneous recruitment of new graduates. They typically begin work together in April after graduation.

When does shukatsu start?

Under government-led rules used since the 2021 graduating class, company information activity starts on March 1 of the third university year and selection starts on June 1 of the fourth year. In practice, many students begin preparing in the autumn of the third year.

Why do students wear dark suits for shukatsu?

The recruit suit is a plain suit worn by job seekers at company visits, interviews and in application photos. Black has become the established style, and navy was long common.

Keep Exploring

More guides from Tokyo Paul: Work Culture in Japan, The Japanese School Year: April Starts and Cherry Blossoms and Ikigai and Work: How the Idea Applies to Careers.