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The Field and Maintenance Work
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Vehicle Systems and Tools
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Safety, Records and Career
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The Automobile Maintenance Field and Its SSW Test
The Automobile Maintenance Field and Its SSW Test
Japan has a very large number of cars, trucks and motorcycles on its roads, and every vehicle needs regular inspection and maintenance. At the same time, fewer young Japanese people are becoming mechanics, so many workshops face a serious labor shortage. For this reason, automobile maintenance (自動車整備, jidousha seibi) is one of the fields of the Specified Skilled Worker system (SSW, 特定技能 tokutei ginou). The ministry in charge is the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT, 国土交通省). For the SSW pathway and how CBT tests work in general, see the course on the SSW tests.
Where you would work
SSW workers in this field work at maintenance workshops certified by the regional transport bureau, called 認証工場 (ninshou koujou, certified workshop). They must be employed directly by the workshop; dispatch work is not allowed. The main work is vehicle inspection and maintenance, explained in the next lesson.
Two ways to show your skill
- Pass the 自動車整備分野特定技能1号評価試験 (jidousha seibi bunya tokutei ginou ichigou hyouka shiken), the SSW (i) skills test for automobile maintenance.
- Or pass the national 3rd-class automobile mechanic skills test (自動車整備士技能検定3級). People who completed Technical Intern Training (ii) in automobile maintenance can also move to SSW (i) without the skills test if they meet the conditions.
You also need Japanese at the level of JFT-Basic or JLPT N4 or above.
The SSW (i) skills test
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Japan Automobile Service Promotion Association (JASPA, 日本自動車整備振興会連合会) |
| Method | Computer-based test (CBT), booked through the Prometric website |
| Written test (学科試験, gakka shiken) | 30 true/false (○×) questions in 60 minutes; pass with 65% or more correct |
| Practical test (実技試験, jitsugi shiken) | 3 tasks with several sub-questions in 20 minutes; you judge situations shown in pictures and diagrams; pass with 60% or more of the points |
| Language | Japanese, with furigana on the kanji |
| Age | 17 or older on the test day; 18 or older for Indonesian nationals |
| In Indonesia | Held since April 2025 |
Both parts cover the chassis and engine of a car: structure and function, inspection, repair and adjustment, testing and measuring tools, and materials, fuel and oil. The level is about the same as the 3rd-class mechanic test. Passing ID numbers are announced on the JASPA website, usually within about 30 days. Passing does not guarantee a visa or a job.
How to prepare
Because the written test is true/false, read each sentence to the end: one word such as 必ず (kanarazu, always) or 〜してはいけない (must not) can change the answer. Learn the Japanese name of each part together with its reading. Jobagus.id does not charge registration fees; be careful of brokers who promise a pass or a job in exchange for money.
Test details are per October 2026 and may change. Check the official sites: mlit.go.jp, jaspa.or.jp and ssw.go.jp.
An overview of the automobile maintenance field, where SSW workers can work, and the format of the SSW (i) skills test.
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