How Ukrainian Diplomas, Degrees, and Medical Licenses Are Treated in Japan

When someone who finished school, graduated from university, and earned a professional qualification in Ukraine considers their next step in Japan, the first question that comes up is: “how many years does my education count as, in Japan?” Where that question gets answered depends on the purpose. For entering a Japanese university, it is the university you apply to; for taking the national medical licensing exam, it is the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) — each judging on a case-by-case basis according to standards set by the national government.

What follows is based on information published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), MHLW, and the National Information Center for Academic Recognition Japan (NIC-Japan) under the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education, and on the text of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the School Education Act, confirmed in September 2026. Whether your own education or qualification will be recognized can only be confirmed with the institution you are applying to or the relevant government counter.

Different Purposes, Different Deciding Bodies

NIC-Japan is an organization set up on September 1, 2019 by the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education, and is Japan’s official national information center under UNESCO’s “Regional Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific” (the Tokyo Convention). Japan also concluded the “Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education” in September 2022, and following its entry into force in March 2023, NIC-Japan also serves as the information center for that convention. NIC-Japan lists four functions: providing information on Japan’s higher education system, providing information on foreign education systems, coordinating with other countries’ information centers, and research. Reviewing an individual’s educational background and issuing a certificate is not among these functions.

People Who Completed Ukraine’s 11-Year School System Can Apply to Japanese Universities

Eligibility to enter a Japanese university is, in principle, granted to “a person who has completed a 12-year course of school education in a foreign country” (Ordinance for Enforcement of the School Education Act, Article 150, Item 1). For countries where the number of years of schooling falls short of 12, an additional preparatory education course designated by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology must also be completed.

Ukraine’s general education has until now been 11 years. However, MEXT also grants university entrance eligibility to people who have completed a designated course of 11 years or more (MEXT Notification No. 153 of Showa 56 [1981], Item 3), and its list (as of August 21, 2023) includes “Ukraine’s course of povna zahal’na serednia osvita” (повна загальна середня освіта, “complete general secondary education”). The list gives an effective date of May 23, Heisei 3 (1991), covering those who completed the course on or after that date.

In other words, a person who has completed complete general secondary education in Ukraine is eligible to apply to a Japanese university without going through a preparatory education course. Ukraine’s schools are in the process of moving to a 12-year system, and this transition is covered in Ukraine’s 12-Year School System: the Final 3 Years Begin in 2027.

Names of the Completion Documents

NIC-Japan explains that the name of the certificate for completing this course differs depending on the year it was issued.

• 1992–2018: Atestat pro povnu zahal’nu seredniu osvitu (Атестат про повну загальну середню освіту)
• From 2019 onward: Svidotstvo pro zdobuttia povnoi zahal’noi seredn’oi osvity (Свідоцтво про здобуття повної загальної середньої освіти)

According to NIC-Japan, completion requires passing the State Final Attestation given at the end of the 11th year. The External Independent Evaluation, the nationwide standardized test generally taken by those hoping to go on to university, is not a requirement for completion. As an exception, in the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 academic years, because of COVID-19, only students hoping to continue to higher education took the final exam, and others were granted completion without taking it. NIC-Japan also states that, in the 2021–2022 academic year, the exam was cancelled “because of the situation in Ukraine,” and completion was granted without an exam. Partway through that academic year, in February 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

In addition, eligibility is also granted to a person aged 18 or older whom a university, through its own individual eligibility screening, recognizes as having academic ability equal to or greater than that of a high school graduate (same article, Item 7).

Three Paths to Entering Graduate School

Eligibility to enter a Japanese graduate school (master’s program or the first stage of a doctoral program) is granted, besides to graduates of Japanese universities, to those meeting the conditions in Article 155, Paragraph 1 of the Ordinance for Enforcement of the School Education Act. For people educated abroad, the following three items are mainly relevant.

• A person who has completed a 16-year course of school education abroad (Item 2). For doctoral programs in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy based on a 6-year undergraduate program, 18 years is required
• A person who has completed a course of 3 years or more at a foreign university or similar institution and been awarded a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree (Item 4-2). For doctoral programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine, 5 years or more is required. A condition is that the institution’s educational and research activities have been evaluated by a body accredited by that country’s government or a relevant organization (or a body the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology designates as equivalent to this)
• A person aged 22 or older whom the graduate school, through its own individual eligibility screening, recognizes as having academic ability equal to or greater than that of a university graduate

This is not decided simply by whether adding up your years of schooling reaches 16. Which path to apply under, and whether a preliminary eligibility screening is required, should be asked of the admissions office of the graduate school you are applying to, well in advance. Whether a graduate of a foreign university can enter the undergraduate program of a Japanese university as a “bachelor’s-entry” (学士入学) student is likewise decided by each university individually (per NIC-Japan).

Working as a Doctor Starts With an Eligibility Certification

MHLW states that a person who graduated from a medical school abroad or obtained a medical license abroad must pass Japan’s national medical licensing exam and obtain a license in order to work as a doctor in Japan. To take the exam, one must first receive an “eligibility certification” (受験資格認定) from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The screening reviews submitted documents to determine whether the applicant is equal to or exceeds a graduate of a Japanese medical school. Those who meet the document-screening standard then take a “Japanese Clinical Language Proficiency Test” (日本語診療能力調査). Two examiners each rate the applicant’s ability in five areas — listening, speaking, writing, reading medical terminology, and conducting an examination — on a 4-point scale (3 to 0); the requirement is a score of 60 or more out of 100 when converted, with no area scored 0.

Results fall into three categories: eligibility for the national exam is granted; eligibility for the “Preliminary Examination for the National Medical Practitioners Examination” (医師国家試験予備試験) is granted instead (after passing the preliminary exam and completing at least 1 year of clinical and public-health practical training, the applicant then takes the national exam); or neither is granted. Applicants who meet the document-screening standard but fall short on the Japanese Clinical Language Proficiency Test can receive eligibility certification for the preliminary exam.

MHLW warns against advertisements that solicit enrollment at foreign medical schools by claiming, for example, that MHLW has approved graduates for eligibility to take Japan’s national exam after graduation. It states that the screening is conducted individually for each applicant after an application is submitted, and that eligibility is never granted uniformly to all graduates of a given foreign medical school.

Main Documents Required for the Application

• An application for eligibility certification and a resume (education history written in Western calendar years starting from the school equivalent to Japanese elementary school; if the years from elementary school through high school total fewer than 12, a document explaining the circumstances must, in principle, be attached)
• An identity document (a certificate of residence, residence card, or passport) and a medical certificate written within 1 month before application by a doctor licensed in Japan
• A copy of the foreign medical license, a copy of the medical school diploma or a certificate of graduation, and a document showing the subjects studied and the number of hours
• For those who did not graduate from a Japanese middle school and high school, a Japanese Language Proficiency Test N1 certificate and a copy of the results

All documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a Japanese translation. For the medical license, certificate of graduation, and records of coursework, a public body (the embassy, consulate, or foreign ministry of the relevant country, and the like) must confirm that both the document and its Japanese translation are accurate, and provide that confirmation in writing. MHLW notes that this “embassy, consulate” does not mean a Japanese embassy or consulate located abroad. The application must be made in person; applications by mail or by proxy are not accepted, and visiting the counter requires an appointment with the person in charge.

There is a deadline for applications. For the 2026 (Reiwa 8) academic year, the deadline for submitting the application sheet was February 27, 2026. Check MHLW’s page for the following year’s deadline. A similarly purposed eligibility certification also exists for nurses and others; applications for the 2026 academic year opened on April 13.

Things to Watch For When Gathering Documents

• Spelling of names. For MHLW procedures, the name on the application must match the identity document, and if the spelling on the diploma or other document differs, a passport or similar document must be used to show it is the same person. Since Latin-alphabet spellings can differ between documents, it helps to make a list of the spellings on the documents you have, so you can explain them. For more on the spelling of names, see Ukrainian Names: Romanization, Patronymics, and Forms of Address
• Originals. MHLW’s procedure requires bringing the original documents for verification, after which they are returned to you. Check with each institution whether its procedure requires you to hand over the original or lets you keep it
• Apostille. Both Japan (from July 27, 1970) and Ukraine (from December 22, 2003) are parties to the Hague Convention (the Apostille Convention), which removes the requirement of legalizing foreign public documents. However, what the receiving institution actually requires is a separate matter: MHLW’s procedure for doctors requires the confirmation by a public body described above. Ask the institution you are submitting to whether an apostille is sufficient
• Translation. Who may do the translation, and whether the translation needs certification, differs by procedure. Check the receiving institution’s requirements before arranging a translation

What to Ask When You Consult

• University/graduate school admissions office: which entrance eligibility category your education falls under; whether a preliminary eligibility screening is needed before applying and its deadline; whether your diploma and transcript need translation or certification
• MHLW (eligibility certification for doctors, nurses, etc.): that academic year’s application deadline; which public body should confirm your documents
• NIC-Japan: information on Japanese and foreign education systems (an inquiry form is available)

Status of residence for working in Japan, and how education is treated in job hunting, are outside the scope of this article. Where to ask is compiled in Where to Ask First When You Start Living in Japan. National standards can change. The content here was confirmed in September 2026.