Japan Data

Japan’s First Graders Want to Be Bakers and Police Officers

Society Economy

Growing up to be a pâtissier or baker remain popular dreams among Japan’s first graders, but there is burgeoning interest in first-responder jobs like police officer, firefighter, and rescue worker.

Protecting People and the Community

A survey of 4,000 Japanese first graders found that the most popular choice as a future job in 2026 was pâtissier or baker, with 12.2% of children naming these as their ideal career. While the top five remained the same, firefighter or rescue worker continued to gain in popularity and at 6.7% is now just 0.1% behind athlete in third place. There was more interest in jobs connected with protecting people and the community in 2026, compared with 20 years ago.

First Graders’ Dream Jobs

2026 2006
1 Pâtissier or baker Athlete
2 Police officer Pâtissier or baker
3 Athlete Florist
4 Firefighter or rescue worker Nurse
5 Celebrity, singer, or model Teacher
6 Driver (of buses, trains, etc.) Celebrity, singer, or model
7 Doctor Police officer
8 TV star or anime character Driver (of buses, trains, etc.)
9 Childcare worker Doctor
10 Worker at ice-cream shop TV star or anime character

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Kuraray.

Pâtissier or baker remained the top choice for girls for the twenty-eighth consecutive year, amassing 21.2% of their vote. Police officer, in fifth position, has made the girls’ top 10 for 12 straight years, while firefighter or rescue worker was at a record high of twelfth. Many girls feel the appeal of helping others.

With 15.6%, police officer was the top choice for boys for the second year running. This was followed by athlete with 12.3% and firefighter or rescue worker with 10.8%. In the 2006 ranking, athlete was way out in front with 31.8%, but now there is a “big three” instead of a “big one.”

First Grade Girls’ Dream Jobs

2026 2006
1 Pâtissier or baker Pâtissier or baker
2 Celebrity, singer, or model Florist
3 Worker at ice-cream shop Nurse
4 Childcare worker Teacher
5 Police officer Celebrity, singer, or model
6 Doctor Childcare worker
7 Teacher Athlete
8 Nurse Doctor
9 Florist Beautician
10 Beautician Sales or customer service

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Kuraray.

First Grade Boys’ Dream Jobs

2026 2006
1 Police officer Athlete
2 Athlete Driver (of buses, trains, etc.)
3 Firefighter or rescue worker Police officer
4 Driver (of buses, trains, etc.) Firefighter or rescue worker
5 TV star or anime character Carpenter or artisan
6 Researcher Pâtissier or baker
7 YouTuber Researcher
8 Pâtissier or baker TV star or anime character
9 Doctor Doctor
10 Carpenter or artisan Pilot

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Kuraray.

Parents were also asked what jobs they would like their first-grade children to pursue. Public servant was top for girls for the second successive year, at 12.3%. There were also a number of health-related professions: nurse in second with 10.8%, doctor in fourth with 6.6%, medical professional in fifth with 6.4%, and pharmacist in eighth with 4.6%.

For parents of boys, public servant (17.5%) and company worker (10.5%) remained the top two for the sixth consecutive year, suggesting a desire for stable employment.

Future Jobs Parents Want for Their First-Grade Girls

2026 2006
1 Public servant Nurse
2 Nurse Public servant
3 Company worker Teacher
4 Doctor Childcare worker
5 Medical professional Doctor
6 Specialist Pharmacist
7 Pâtissier or baker Company worker
8 Pharmacist Celebrity, singer, or model
9 Teacher Pâtissier or baker
10 Childcare worker Flight attendant

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Kuraray.

Future Jobs Parents Want for Their First-Grade Boys

2026 2006
1 Public servant Public servant
2 Company worker Athlete
3 Athlete Doctor
4 Firefighter or rescue worker Company worker
5 Doctor Engineer
6 Police officer Pilot
7 Engineer Carpenter or artisan
8 Researcher Firefighter or rescue worker
9 Specialist Teacher
10 Driver (of buses, trains, etc.) Researcher

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Kuraray.

Data Sources

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)

children job elementary school