Japan Sharoshi (Social Insurance & Labor Consultant) Exam: Application Photo Spec and How to Create It

Create a Sharoshi exam application photo that meets the official spec from the National Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorneys Associations, from a smartphone shot, for ¥200. Built for the fully online application (upload through the My Page portal).

Official spec data
Dimensions45mm × 35mm
Face lengthNot specified
Top marginNot specified
BackgroundA plain background is required — shoot against a plain wall under even lighting
Shoot-by windowTaken within 6 months of application
Official issuerExamination Center, National Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorneys Associations

View the official source(Last verified: 2026-05-27)

Verbatim official spec

The verbatim official spec from the Examination Center, National Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorneys Associations, is shown below in the original Japanese.

  • 申込前6か月以内に撮影した
  • 無背景(無地の壁等は可)
  • カラー写真(白黒不可)
  • 受験時に眼鏡を着用する場合は、眼鏡を着用して撮影したもの
  • 平常の顔貌と著しく異なる(笑顔、画像を加工している等)
Examination Center, National Federation of Labor and Social Security Attorneys Associations, www.sharosi-siken.or.jp/

Why this spec matters

The Sharoshi (Social Insurance and Labor Consultant) qualification, established under the 1968 Social Insurance and Labor Consultant Act, is a national license for handling labor and social-insurance filings — covering the Labor Standards Act, workers' compensation, employment insurance, health insurance, and employees' pension — plus drafting work rules and providing labor consulting. Filing the so-called Type 1 and Type 2 documents is a Sharoshi-exclusive monopoly; neighboring professions such as administrative scriveners, tax accountants, and judicial scriveners cannot perform this work. In Reiwa 7 (the 57th exam), 53,618 applied, 43,421 sat the exam, and only 2,376 passed — a 5.5% pass rate, down from 6.9% the previous year, making it one of Japan's most difficult national qualifications. The exam runs once a year on the fourth Sunday of August, with an 80-minute multiple-choice section and a 210-minute selection section on paper; there are no plans to move to CBT for Reiwa 8. Applications are fully online: you register on the My Page portal, upload your photo, and then pay the exam fee, so any spec issue means re-uploading and potential application delays.

How to create it for ¥200

With a smartphone and ¥200, you can create a spec-compliant photo ready for the Sharoshi exam's fully online application.

  1. 1

    Take the photo on your smartphone

    Stand against a plain wall in a bright room. No hat, only yourself in the frame, mouth closed, neutral expression. If you wear glasses during the exam, wear them in the photo too.
  2. 2

    AI removes the background and aligns to spec

    Upload the photo. AI removes the background and outputs a spec-compliant 35×45mm color photo as a natural, unretouched JPG under 3MB.
  3. 3

    Upload through My Page → pay the exam fee

    The Sharoshi exam is fully online with no paper application. Register on the Examination Center's My Page portal, upload your spec-compliant file, then pay the exam fee.

Create a Spec-Compliant Sharoshi Exam Photo for ¥200

AI auto-adjusts your smartphone shot to the 35×45mm color spec. The output is a JPG under 3MB, ready to upload directly to the fully online application.

Create now — ¥200

What Ramune AI ID Photo offers

Even for a tight spec like My Number, you can finish the entire shoot → process → print workflow in your browser.

Cropping screen with horizontal and vertical guidelines to adjust face position, width, hairline, and chin in 0.1mm units

0.1mm face position adjustment

Drag the hairline, chin, and face-width guides — or type the millimetre value — to fit inside even a 4mm-wide regulatory window like the My Number spec.

Auto-generated L-size print sheet

Multiple photos optimally arranged on L-size paper with cut marks. Print directly at home or at a convenience store.

AI removes the background automatically

Walls or objects in the original shot are auto-removed; AI converts the photo to the plain background the spec requires.

AI skin smoothing with a natural finish

Auto-reduces blemishes and uneven tone while keeping a natural look. Choose between the original and the smoothed version.

Print at 55,000 convenience stores nationwide

Scan a QR code at the multi-copy machine in 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, Ministop, or Poplar — L-size prints from ¥30.

5-language support, no app required

Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese — works entirely in your smartphone browser without installing an app.

Frequently asked questions

How does it differ from the administrative scrivener exam?
The scope of practice is different. The Sharoshi monopoly covers filings under labor and social-insurance laws — the Labor Standards Act, workers' compensation, employment insurance, health insurance, employees' pension. Administrative scriveners cannot touch this area; they handle government filings, permits, immigration, and inheritance. Pass rates also differ — about 5.5% for Sharoshi versus around 14% for administrative scrivener, so the Sharoshi exam is the harder of the two.
How does it differ from the tax accountant exam?
Tax accountants hold a monopoly on tax representation, drafting tax documents, and tax consultation. Sharoshi focus on labor and social insurance. Payroll calculations overlap to some extent, but social-insurance filings — employment insurance, workers' comp, health insurance, employees' pension — are Sharoshi-exclusive.
Why isn't smiling allowed?
The official spec rejects faces "noticeably different from your ordinary appearance (smiling, etc.)." Strict identity verification requires a neutral, mouth-closed expression close to how you normally look — stricter than most résumé photos.
Is any image editing acceptable, including the smartphone's built-in enhancements?
No, none of it. The spec rejects "edited images" outright — beautify modes, skin smoothing, filters, large brightness adjustments, and contour reshaping all fail. Upload the natural shot as captured.
Can anyone take the exam?
No, eligibility is required. You must meet one of: an academic credential (university, junior college, or vocational school graduate), an existing national qualification (administrative scrivener, tax accountant, etc.), or at least 3 years of practical experience with labor and social-insurance laws. It is not an open-entry exam.

Create a Spec-Compliant Sharoshi Exam Photo for ¥200

AI auto-adjusts your smartphone shot to the 35×45mm color spec. The output is a JPG under 3MB, ready to upload directly to the fully online application.

Create now — ¥200
Japan Sharoshi Exam Photo 35×45mm | ¥200 — Ramune AI