I like thinking about what’s right, what’s fair

Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental disorders using medical science.

Their patients may struggle with conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression—but increasingly, with psychological distress rooted in modern life’s pressures.

Treatment involves careful listening and long-term dialogue, followed by medication, psychotherapy, or social rehabilitation.

Because mental illness carries social stigma, psychiatrists must be sensitive to discrimination and human rights.

In 2002, Japan’s Psychiatric Association officially changed the term “schizophrenia” to “integration disorder” to reduce prejudice.

Psychiatrists study six years in medical school, pass the national physician’s exam, and usually work in hospitals or welfare institutions.

Many also open private clinics, offering calm refuge in a noisy world.

Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologists treat psychological distress through counseling rather than medication.

They support those whose lives are disrupted by emotional conflict, trauma, or anxiety.

The profession—also called psychotherapy or psychological counseling—has grown as modern life becomes more complex.

Success requires empathy, patience, and the ability to earn trust.

Psychologists work in hospitals, schools, family courts, juvenile facilities, welfare centers, and private companies.

In Japan, certification follows graduate study at an accredited program and a national exam; competition for entry is fierce.

Even after qualification, psychologists must renew their license every five years—a reminder that growth never stops.

Psychosomatic Physician

Psychosomatic physicians treat illnesses in which mind and body are intertwined—panic disorder, mild depression, eating disorders, or PTSD.

Unlike psychiatrists, they focus on physical symptoms arising from emotional strain.

Treatment combines medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle guidance.

They complete six years of medical study and pass the physician’s national exam, then specialize further in psychosomatic medicine.

As stress-related illnesses rise, these doctors bridge medicine and empathy.

Fortune Teller

Fortune tellers read tarot cards, stars, or palms to divine luck, timing, or fate.

Professional boundaries are loose—some belong to formal associations, others work independently.

Few can live solely on fortune-telling; most supplement their income through lectures or media appearances.

Though it may seem mystical, the work demands study, intuition, and a gift for reading the human heart—turning ancient symbols into modern reflection.

I Like Justice and the Rules that Hold Society Together

I’m fascinated by how societies define fairness—how laws, judgments, and ethics translate human conflict into order, and how people stand for what they believe is right.

Lawyer

Lawyers resolve disputes and protect the rights of clients, acting as experts in law and justice.

After passing Japan’s notoriously difficult bar exam and joining a bar association, new lawyers apprentice under senior mentors before opening their own practices.

While television often portrays criminal defense lawyers, most real work involves civil matters—divorce, debt, contracts.

Yet as society globalizes, corporate law, international arbitration, and financial compliance expand rapidly.

Japan’s legal reforms established law schools to train more practitioners; still, lawyers remain concentrated in major cities.

To practice law is to navigate human complexity—one client, one case, one truth at a time.

Judge

Judges preside over civil, criminal, and administrative cases, upholding justice with independence.

The Constitution guarantees that they act “according to conscience and bound only by law.”

After ten years of legal experience, assistant judges may be appointed as full judges.

Since 2009, Japan’s “lay judge” system allows citizens to join professional judges in criminal trials, encouraging transparency and civic participation.

Judges now not only interpret laws but also help ordinary people understand and trust them.

Prosecutor

Prosecutors investigate crimes, decide whether to indict suspects, and argue cases in court.

They cooperate with police but hold ultimate authority to prosecute.

The position requires exceptional judgment and integrity—less than 10% of those passing the bar become prosecutors.

In Japan’s legal system, prosecutors alone can bring formal charges.

They represent the public’s demand for justice, balancing mercy with discipline in a rapidly evolving world of digital and international crime.

Politician

Politicians—national or local—represent citizens and shape laws and policy.

Their job is to balance competing interests and seek solutions that serve the public good.

It’s often thankless, sometimes dangerous: throughout history, many leaders have been hated, betrayed, or even assassinated for their choices.

Yet true politics, at its core, means building conditions for people to live well together.

Modern politicians need charisma, endurance, and moral courage—not just ambition.

While the book warns thirteen-year-olds not to idolize politics, it suggests that those who work in NGOs, community projects, or education may one day enter politics naturally—guided not by power, but by service.

I Like Helping People and Holding Them Up

I’m fascinated by compassion as a skill—the ability to listen, comfort, and act when others cannot. These people make society livable in ways laws alone never could.

Public Welfare Officer

Public welfare officers work at municipal offices and welfare centers, helping those in hardship—providing health guidance, nutrition support, and assistance for the elderly, disabled, or victims of domestic violence.

They are civil servants who must pass government exams and dedicate their work to social stability rather than profit.

Welfare Company Staff

Private companies in the welfare field sell and rent assistive equipment such as wheelchairs, adjustable beds, or portable toilets.

Others offer home-care or cleaning services for the elderly.

With Japan’s aging population, welfare businesses are expanding, blending compassion with entrepreneurship.

Social Worker / Welfare Caseworker

Social workers support people facing illness, disability, or social exclusion—helping them access care, navigate systems, and rebuild independence.

They may work in hospitals, care homes, or government offices.

Qualifications include national certifications as social welfare workers or mental health welfare workers.

Their reward lies not in salary but in witnessing resilience return to those once lost.

Caregiver

Caregivers assist those unable to manage daily life independently.

They help with bathing, meals, mobility, and emotional support in care homes or private residences.

Certification as a national “care worker” is often required, but sincerity and stamina matter just as much.

Home-Visit Care Worker

Home-care workers visit elderly or disabled clients to provide personal assistance—bathing, cooking, cleaning, conversation.

They help clients remain at home with dignity while easing family burdens.

Qualifications are tiered, and experienced workers can later obtain national certification.

It is humble, demanding work—but profoundly human.

Medical Social Worker

Medical social workers bridge medicine and daily life.

They help patients understand treatment, handle costs, coordinate transfers, and adjust to rehabilitation or chronic illness.

Though there’s no national license yet, welfare specialists often fill the role.

Their mission: to remind patients they are more than their diagnosis.

Mental Health Social Worker

Working with psychiatric patients, these professionals advocate for autonomy and reintegration into society.

They coordinate with hospitals, families, and local agencies to support recovery and prevent isolation.

They must earn national certification as mental health welfare workers.

As understanding of mental health deepens, this field’s importance continues to grow.

Family Court Officer / Probation Officer / Rehabilitation Instructor

These three roles connect welfare with justice.

Family Court Officers investigate domestic or juvenile cases, offering counseling and psychological assessment.

Probation Officers supervise offenders, guiding them toward reintegration through counseling and monitoring.

Rehabilitation Instructors work in juvenile correctional institutions, helping youth regain a sense of responsibility and belonging.

All are civil servants requiring specialized training in psychology and social work.

Sign Language Interpreter

Sign language interpreters bridge communication between hearing and deaf communities.

They master both language and empathy—translating not just words but emotion.

Though many work voluntarily, Japan now certifies interpreters through national and regional programs.

Few make a living solely from this work, yet its value lies beyond pay: it is the practice of understanding itself.

Crisis Hotline Counselor

Hotline counselors answer anonymous calls from people in distress, listening, guiding, and preventing harm.

They undergo two years of training, working voluntarily in shifts across 50 centers nationwide.

In a country where tens of thousands struggle silently each year, every conversation may save a life.

Their greatest skill is simple presence—listening without judgment, speaking with care.

School Counselor

School counselors help students navigate friendships, family conflict, and anxiety.

They advise teachers and parents, mediate school-refusal cases, and promote mental wellness in classrooms.

Most hold clinical psychology or school-counselor certification.

Though often part-time and underfunded, the role is vital in a society learning to take children’s emotions seriously.

Nursing Home Worker

Nursing home staff support elderly and disabled residents in daily routines—meals, hygiene, rehabilitation, and companionship.

They maintain cleanliness, comfort, and safety.

Many positions require home-care or care-worker certification.

While physically demanding, the work nurtures gratitude, patience, and community.

I Like Protecting Faith and Meaning

I’m fascinated by those who dedicate themselves to the unseen — not to profit, but to truth, compassion, and inner peace.

Buddhist Monk

Monks devote their lives to Buddhist study, ritual, and service.

They train at temples or Buddhist universities, learning doctrine, history, and meditation under senior priests.

Many inherit temples from family; others serve new communities through education or welfare work.

Yet with depopulation, thousands of temples now stand empty, testing the endurance of ancient faith in modern Japan.

To become a monk today is to balance tradition and reinvention.

Priest / Pastor

Priests (Catholic) and pastors (Protestant) lead congregations through worship, guidance, and ceremony.

They study theology in seminaries, preach, conduct weddings and funerals, and listen to confessions or counsel the troubled.

Their livelihood depends on the faith and support of their parishioners.

Many now extend their calling beyond the church — aiding the poor, speaking against injustice, and bringing light into despair.

Faith, in their hands, becomes an act of service.

I Like Building a Kinder World

I’m fascinated by how care, justice, knowledge, and faith intertwine — and how every act of understanding, from a doctor’s empathy to a judge’s fairness, shapes the moral architecture of our lives.

Police Officer

Japan’s police system includes the National Police Agency and regional prefectural headquarters. Officers handle diverse duties—from community patrols and traffic control to criminal investigations and disaster response.

Recruits enter training academies for six to ten months, where they study law, firearms use, and crisis management before assignment. Ranks progress from Patrol Officer to Chief Inspector and beyond.

Police work demands discipline, courage, and public trust. Specialized divisions include motorcycle units, forensic departments, and cybercrime squads. Continuous training and exams are required for promotion, and the profession offers both stability and deep public responsibility.

Paramedic

Paramedics accompany ambulances and administer lifesaving care—CPR, IVs, airway management—en route to hospitals. To qualify, candidates must complete two to three years of training and pass national exams, often while serving as firefighters.

Because every decision can mean life or death, paramedics need steady judgment, quick reflexes, and composure under stress. Their work embodies the frontline of emergency medicine and continues to see growing demand across aging societies.

Coast Guard Officer

Coast Guard officers safeguard maritime safety and sovereignty. Their tasks include monitoring suspicious vessels, conducting rescue operations, cleaning oil spills, surveying sea routes, and maintaining lighthouses and buoys.

Officers graduate from the National Coast Guard Academy or Coast Guard School, where they study navigation, mechanics, oceanography, and rescue operations before completing long training voyages. Competition is fierce, but the work attracts those drawn to the sea and public service alike.

Security Guard

Security guards protect facilities, property, and people—from banks and construction sites to corporate offices and parking lots. Their duties range from access control and CCTV monitoring to crowd management.

While not armed, guards must show alertness, judgment, and calm under pressure. The job suits those with integrity, discipline, and composure. Many are former police officers or martial-arts practitioners. Because the field depends on trust, background checks are strict, and tattoos or criminal records disqualify candidates.

Prison Officer

Prison officers oversee inmates in correctional facilities, ensuring order and guiding rehabilitation. They monitor daily routines, prevent violence, and assist in vocational or educational programs.

The work is physically and mentally taxing, yet profoundly significant—officers witness human change up close. Entry requires passing national civil-service exams and physical tests, with age limits around 17–29.

Success in this profession depends on firmness balanced with compassion, and the ability to see potential in those society has cast aside.

Rescue Team Member

Rescue workers respond to fires, earthquakes, floods, and other disasters. After passing public-service exams, recruits undergo intensive training at fire academies for up to a year.

Not all firefighters become rescue specialists—only those who excel in endurance, teamwork, and courage are selected. Members often rotate out by their 40s, as the physical demands are immense.

The role carries immense risk but also honor: they are the ones who run toward danger when everyone else runs away.

SAT (Special Assault Team)

The Special Assault Team, or SAT, is Japan’s elite police unit for counter-terrorism and hostage crises—similar to Germany’s GSG-9 or Britain’s SAS.

Composed of roughly 300 highly trained officers stationed in key prefectures, SAT units undergo rigorous, secretive training in firearms, explosives, and tactical operations. Members are forbidden to disclose their affiliation, and selection is extremely competitive.

Their courage and precision gained national recognition after high-profile hostage rescues. SAT work is dangerous, confidential, and physically punishing, demanding extraordinary discipline and mental endurance.

Bodyguard

Bodyguards protect individuals facing potential threats—corporate executives, celebrities, or private citizens under risk of stalking or extortion. They plan safe routes, monitor surroundings, and act swiftly in crises.

Training covers self-defense, evasive driving, explosives awareness, and emergency evacuation. Most work for specialized security firms, though some operate independently.

Ideal candidates are physically strong, mentally alert, discreet, and loyal—often with backgrounds in law enforcement or martial arts. In Japan and elsewhere, professional bodyguards are still relatively few, making it a niche yet growing field as personal-security needs expand worldwide.