Is BJT better than JLPT? What each result gets you
What a BJT score and a JLPT certificate each open in Japan, from the official lists of ISA, the JLPT and Kanken. Visas, study, licence exams, employers.
Short answer
BJT is not better than the JLPT across the board: the visa rules that name both tests treat BJT 400 like JLPT N2 and 480 like N1, but the Specified Skilled Worker page of the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) lists the JLPT (marked "for reference") and not BJT, and the JLPT's own page names N1 for national licence exams such as medicine. For study, ISA lists both: JLPT N5 or BJT 300 for a language school, N2 or 400 for a university, for entry until March 2030. On the pages we read, neither organiser publishes how many employers accept its test.
It depends on what you need it for
Neither certificate is better for everything: where a rule names both tests, they count alike, and the JLPT is named in more places. This article compares the BJT Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJTビジネス日本語能力テスト), run by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation (Kanken) and delivered by Pearson VUE, with the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), run by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES). The facts come from the official lists of the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), the JLPT and Kanken, read on 13 November 2026. How the two tests themselves compare, from format to scoring and dates, is in BJT vs JLPT side by side.
Visas: both, with one exception
For the work and business visa rules that name Japanese tests, both certificates count (Engineer: from 15 April 2026, with a category 3 or 4 employer and a job that rests on language ability; Business Manager: the applicant or a full-time employee; see the articles linked below the table). The exception is the Specified Skilled Worker visa, and for permanent residency ISA has not published a test list yet.
| Rule | JLPT | BJT |
|---|---|---|
| Work and business visas, Highly Skilled Professional points | JLPT: N2 or N1, depending on the rule | BJT: 400 or 480, depending on the rule |
| Specified Skilled Worker (i) | JLPT: listed by ISA for reference, next to JFT-Basic; the JLPT says N4 | BJT: not on ISA's list |
| Permanent residency, applications from 1 April 2027 | JLPT: B1 Japanese becomes a factor, with exemptions; ISA has not published a test list | BJT: not stated; no test list yet |
Which score each rule asks for, and who it covers, is in which Japanese tests count for Japan visas, with details for the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa, the Business Manager visa and permanent residency from April 2027.
The JLPT organisers themselves point visa applicants to BJT. In a note of September 2026, written because JLPT applications had to close early at some test sites, they name BJT for four statuses: Business Manager, Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services, Highly Skilled Professional (points-based) and Designated Activities for graduates of Japanese universities.
Studying in Japan
For study in Japan, ISA lists both tests, at one level for a Japanese-language school and a higher one for a university.
| Entry to | JLPT | BJT |
|---|---|---|
| A Japanese-language school (Student status) | JLPT: N5 or higher, on ISA's list of tests that prove A1 | BJT: 300 or higher, on ISA's list deemed to show A1 for now |
| A university taught in Japanese, entry by March 2030 | JLPT: N2 or higher, under a transitional rule | BJT: 400 or higher, under the same transitional rule |
For language schools, the JLPT is on ISA's list of tests that prove A1 (証明する, shōmei suru), and BJT on its list of tests deemed to show A1 for the time being (当面の間…みなす, tōmen no aida … minasu). ISA does not say what this difference means in practice.
For universities, ISA's benchmark from academic year 2027 is B2. The transitional rule keeps JLPT N2 and BJT 400 for students who enter by the end of academic year 2029, that is March 2030, and ISA recommends that universities still check B2 themselves.
Licences and exams that name the JLPT
Several national exams and programmes name the JLPT, and we found no BJT line for them on Kanken's or the JLPT's pages.
| Exam or programme | What the JLPT page says |
|---|---|
| National licence exams for medical practitioners and other professions, for people licensed abroad | A JLPT N1 certificate is required |
| Assistant nurse exams, for graduates of nursing schools abroad | JLPT N1 |
| Junior high school equivalency exam | The Japanese test is waived for foreign citizens with N1 or N2 |
| Nurse and care worker candidates under Economic Partnership Agreements | About N5 or higher (Philippines), about N4 or higher (Indonesia), N3 or higher (Vietnam) |
These are the JLPT's own statements. For an exam you plan to take, check the rules of the ministry that runs it.
Employers
Employers set their own rules, and on the pages we read neither organiser publishes how many employers accept its test.
| JLPT | BJT | |
|---|---|---|
| What the organiser says | JLPT: its certificate "can be used as official proof for schools and companies" | BJT: "A large number of companies and schools are using the BJT" |
| Published examples | JLPT: no employer list on the JLPT pages we read | BJT: company and school examples on Kanken's website |
| How many employers accept it | JLPT: no number on the pages we read | BJT: no number on the pages we read |
The JLPT quote is about the Certificate of Result and Scores, the document that test takers abroad receive with their results and that others can request. Kanken also writes that more Japanese companies value BJT highly; that is its own statement, with no figures. If a job ad asks for JLPT N2 by name, ask the employer before you send a BJT score instead.
What the certificate shows an employer
A JLPT result shows pass or fail for one level; a BJT score certificate shows a score, a level and a rank for each part.
| JLPT | BJT | |
|---|---|---|
| On the paper | JLPT: on the Certificate of Result and Scores: pass or fail for one level, with a score for each section | BJT: your score, your level and a rank for each part |
| CEFR | JLPT: a reference CEFR level for passers, from December 2025 | BJT: no CEFR level published by Kanken |
| Photo | JLPT: on certificates of people who passed in Japan since 2005 (Korea, Taiwan, China: since 2012) | BJT: on the score certificate |
Because BJT places everyone on one scale, the score also shows how far above or below a line such as 400 you are. What each BJT level means is in what your BJT score means, and how that one score is built, with no section minimum, is in how to pass BJT with no pass mark.
How to decide
- A job ad asks for JLPT N2 by name: take the JLPT, unless the employer confirms that a BJT score is fine.
- You hold a licence from abroad and plan a Japanese national licence exam, such as medicine: the JLPT's page says you need JLPT N1; check the ministry's rules too.
- You plan to study in Japan: ISA lists both tests; check what your school asks for.
- You need proof for a visa: see BJT or JLPT for your visa.
What the official pages say
- 480 and N1: Kanken's page says BJT 480 or more is "equal to JLPT N1" in the visa rules it lists. ISA names the two side by side only in specific rules, such as Highly Skilled Professional points, and we found no ISA conversion table.
- Specified Skilled Worker: ISA's test page for this visa lists the JLPT, marked "for reference", and not BJT.
- 300 and N5: Kanken says a BJT score of 300 or more can be stated as JLPT N5 level or higher in an application for a Certificate of Eligibility. ISA's list for language schools says BJT 300 is deemed to show A1 "for the time being".
This article is general information, not legal advice. Visa decisions depend on your whole application. Check the Immigration Services Agency pages below or ask an immigration specialist (gyōseishoshi).
Questions people ask
Do schools and companies recognise BJT scores?
Kanken, the organiser of the BJT, says a large number of companies and schools use the BJT and points to examples on its website, but it publishes no count. For study in Japan, the Immigration Services Agency lists BJT 300 for Japanese-language schools and BJT 400 for universities under a transitional rule. For a job, ask the employer.
Is the JLPT more widely accepted than BJT?
On the lists we checked, the JLPT is named in more places: the Immigration Services Agency's Specified Skilled Worker page lists the JLPT, marked "for reference", and not BJT, and the JLPT's own page names JLPT N1 for national licence exams such as medicine, for people licensed abroad. Both tests count for the work and business visa rules that name Japanese tests (tests by visa). On the pages we read, neither organiser publishes how many employers accept its test.
Do you need the JLPT to study in Japan?
No single test is required. The Immigration Services Agency lists JLPT N5 or BJT 300, among other tests, for Japanese-language schools, where A1 Japanese can also be confirmed by interview. For universities taught in Japanese, it lists JLPT N2 or BJT 400, among others, for students entering by March 2030.
What does JLPT N1 give you that BJT does not?
By the JLPT's own page, people licensed abroad as medical practitioners and in some other professions need a JLPT N1 certificate to take Japan's national licence exams; we found no BJT line for those exams. For Highly Skilled Professional points, JLPT N1 and BJT 480 or more both give 15 points (how the points work).
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