From LPN to RN: since April 2026, the distance-learning route asks for five years’ experience, not seven

This is for anyone who has worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse (准看護師) for a few years and thinks, “Someday I’d like to become a Registered Nurse.” In April 2026, the way into distance learning, which lets you study while you keep working, got a little wider.

This article covers the routes an LPN takes to sit the national licensing exam for Registered Nurses (看護師), what changed on April 1, 2026, and what to talk through with your workplace if you plan to study while working.

Routes from LPN to RN

To sit the RN national licensing exam, an LPN needs to study for at least two years in a two-year bridging course (2年課程, for LPNs; also called 進学コース) at a designated school or training institution (Act on Public Health Nurses, Midwives and Nurses (保健師助産師看護師法), Article 21, item 4). Two-year courses come in full-time, part-time (evening) and distance learning formats, and each has different entry requirements.

From April 1, 2026: distance learning needs “5 years or more”

The work experience needed to enter a distance learning course was set at “7 years or more” by an amendment in April 2018. The supplementary provisions of that amendment said the requirement would be reviewed about three years after it took effect, including considering whether to make it 5 years or more. Then an amended ordinance that took effect on April 1, 2026 (令和7年文部科学省・厚生労働省令第1号, MEXT/MHLW Ordinance No. 1 of 2025) shortened it to “5 years or more.”

For example, someone in their fifth or sixth year as an LPN could not enter a distance learning course before, but from April 2026 they meet the requirement. For people who want to study while continuing to work, this means they can choose to start two years earlier.

Source: 保健師助産師看護師学校養成所指定規則 (Ordinance on Designated Schools and Training Institutions for Public Health Nurses, Midwives and Nurses) (e-Gov Laws and Regulations search; checked by comparing the text as of April 1, 2025 with the current text)

Schools are closing, so look early

One thing to watch: the number of two-year course schools itself is falling. According to the Japanese Nursing Association (JNA) nursing statistics, the number of schools and the annual intake capacity have changed as follows.

In about ten years, the number of schools fell by roughly 30% and the intake capacity by about 35%. These statistics don’t show the number of schools or capacity for distance learning alone (the editors have not confirmed these figures). Check early, in the application guidelines of the schools you are considering, whether there is a school within reach and whether it is still taking applications.

Where LPNs stand today

• 233,022 people were working as LPNs at the end of 2024, 21,307 (8.4%) fewer than two years earlier. By age, 65 and over is the largest group, at 19.0%.
• The most common workplace for LPNs is clinics, which employ 32.8% of all LPNs.
• The pass rate for the February 2026 RN national licensing exam (the 115th) was 88.3% (94.1% for new graduates).

Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), 令和6年衛生行政報告例（就業医療関係者）の概況 (Report on Public Health Administration and Services 2024: employed health workers) (2025); MHLW, 第115回看護師国家試験の合格発表 (Results of the 115th national nursing licensing exam) (2026)

Studying while working: what to talk through with your workplace

If you plan to keep working while you attend a two-year course, your workplace’s understanding is essential. Asking about the following during a workplace visit (見学) or interview can save you a scramble later.

• Shifts on school and clinical placement daysThe days you attend school and the clinical placement schedule vary by course and school. Check the application guidelines first, then ask whether your shifts can be adjusted for those periods.
• Whether anyone there has done it beforeIf someone has finished a two-year course while working, you can hear how they actually balanced the two.
• Night shiftsWhether you can do fewer night shifts while you are studying.
• Scholarships or tuition support, and their conditionsIf there are conditions such as “no repayment if you work here for X years after finishing,” confirm them in writing.

Choosing a workplace once you are an RN

In a JNA survey from 2025, the within-year turnover rate for new RN graduates from two-year courses was 12.3% (FY2024). Even with experience as an LPN, your first year as an RN can bring moments of confusion in a new role.

For what kind of workplace to choose once you are an RN, see our comparison in types of nursing workplaces and who they suit. Tuition and benefit schemes (such as education and training benefits) have detailed conditions, so this article does not cover them. Please check with your school or Hello Work (public employment service).