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Real Estate Transaction Improvement Organization (RETIO), a general incorporated foundation designated as the examining body by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Real Estate Transaction Specialist (Takken-shi) Qualification Examination

The Takken-shi examination is a national qualifying examination held under the Real Estate Brokerage Act. The exam is legally the responsibility of prefectural governors, but since FY1988 it has been run once a year by the Real Estate Transaction Improvement Organization (RETIO), a foundation designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and acting under delegation from every prefectural governor. It is a written paper of 50 four-option multiple-choice questions with a two-hour limit. Questions are drawn from seven statutory subjects: the physical characteristics of land and buildings; rights in land and buildings and how those rights change; statutory restrictions on land and buildings; taxation; laws and practice relating to supply and demand; property valuation; and the Real Estate Brokerage Act itself. There are no eligibility requirements, so anyone living in Japan may sit it regardless of age or education. Passing on its own does not make you a Real Estate Transaction Specialist. You must then register with the governor of the prefecture where you sat the exam and be issued a Real Estate Transaction Specialist Identification Card before you can deliver the statutory explanation of important matters. In FY2025, 245,462 people sat the exam and 45,821 passed.

Official page

Who takes it

  • Sales and brokerage staff in property sales or lettings who want to deliver the statutory explanation of important matters themselves
  • Licensed real estate brokers and their employees who need to meet the requirement to station full-time Real Estate Transaction Specialists at each office
  • People whose work touches property transactions daily, such as staff at house builders, financial institutions and construction companies
  • People at rental management companies who also have the business manager requirement in view, through the designated-course route open to Real Estate Transaction Specialists
  • Working adults and students who want to relearn the Civil Code, the Act on Land and Building Leases, the City Planning Act and related law in a structured way

What it lets you do

  • The Article 35 explanation of important matters, signing the statement of important matters, and signing the Article 37 document must be done by a Real Estate Transaction Specialist. Once you are registered and hold the identification card, you can take that work on.
  • Real estate brokers must station at each office the number of full-time adult Real Estate Transaction Specialists prescribed by ordinance of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, so holders bear directly on whether an office can be staffed at all.
  • There are no eligibility requirements and no work experience is asked for, so people with no industry background can sit it.
  • Among those who passed in FY2025, 33.2% worked in real estate, 8.7% in construction and 8.1% in finance, and 10.9% were students, so it is taken well beyond the property industry.
  • For the business manager requirement under the Chintai Fudosan Keiei Kanrishi framework, a separate route through a designated course is available to Real Estate Transaction Specialists.

The exam

As published by Real Estate Transaction Improvement Organization (RETIO), a general incorporated foundation designated as the examining body by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Anything we could not confirm is left out. Check the official page before you apply.

Questions
50 questions (45 for candidates who have completed the registered training course)
Time
120 minutes (1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.; candidates who have completed the registered training course sit from 1:10 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., 110 minutes)
Pass mark
No fixed passing score is published by the exam body. A cut score is announced for each year's exam, and for FY2025 it was 33 or more correct out of 50 (28 or more out of 45 for candidates who had completed the registered training course).
Fee
JPY 8,200 (exempt from consumption tax and local consumption tax)
Format
Written examination, 50 four-option multiple-choice questions
Languages
Japanese
When it runs
Once a year, on the third Sunday of October. The FY2026 exam is on Sunday, October 18, with results announced on Wednesday, November 25. The official notice is normally published on the first Friday of June each year.
Validity and renewal
RETIO's official pages say nothing about an expiry for passing the exam itself. To work as a Real Estate Transaction Specialist you must register with the governor of the prefecture where you sat the exam and be issued a Real Estate Transaction Specialist Identification Card.

How hard it is

In FY2025, 245,462 people sat the exam and 45,821 passed, a pass rate of 18.7% (published by RETIO). There is no fixed cut score. One is set for each year's exam, and for FY2025 it was 33 or more correct out of 50 (28 or more out of 45 for candidates who had completed the registered training course).

How long people study

Not published by the exam body. RETIO does not state a standard amount of study time. Preparation schools sometimes suggest roughly 200 to 400 hours, but that is not an official figure.

Syllabus

  • Physical characteristics, area, land category and type of land, and physical characteristics, structure and type of buildings
  • Laws relating to rights in land and buildings and to changes in those rights
  • Statutory restrictions on land and buildings
  • Tax laws relating to building lots and buildings
  • Laws and practice relating to supply and demand for building lots and buildings
  • Valuation of building lots and buildings
  • The Real Estate Brokerage Act and its related laws and regulations

Our apps and books for this exam

  • Takken Revenge

    Japanese only

    Real Estate Transaction Agent (Takken) exam drills

    This app's interface and questions are in Japanese.

    Download on the App Store

Questions people ask

What is the passing score?
There is no fixed passing score. RETIO publishes a cut score for each year's exam, and for FY2025 it was 33 or more correct out of 50 (28 or more out of 45 for candidates who had completed the registered training course). Because the cut score moves from year to year, studying to hit a fixed number of marks is not a sound approach.
Can anyone use the five-question exemption for the registered training course?
No. The registered training course is run by bodies registered with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and only people working in the real estate brokerage industry who hold an employee identification certificate may take it. The exemption applies to exams held within three years of the date you pass the course's completion test, and it covers the five questions falling under subject 1 (physical characteristics of land and buildings) and subject 5 (laws and practice relating to supply and demand).
Can I sit the exam outside the prefecture where I live?
In principle you sit it in the prefecture where you currently live. That matters beyond the exam day, because after passing you apply for registration to the governor of the prefecture where you sat it.
Can I deliver explanations of important matters as soon as I pass?
No. After passing you must register with the governor of the prefecture where you sat the exam and then be issued a Real Estate Transaction Specialist Identification Card. Only then are you a Real Estate Transaction Specialist. Registration requires two years or more of practical experience, or completion of a practical training course registered with the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
As of when are the laws in the questions current?
Questions are based on the laws and regulations in force as of April 1 of the fiscal year in which the exam is held. A recent amendment is not examinable unless it was already in force on that April 1.

Sources

These are the pages the figures came from. Some are published in Japanese only, and are marked as such — we keep the original titles rather than translating them, so you can match what you find on the official site. Exam rules change; check the official page before you apply.

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