What Is Kancho Homon, and Why Passing Isn't Getting Hired

Kancho homon is the round of visits candidates make to individual ministries and agencies after clearing the General Service exam’s written and interview stages, and it is where the actual hiring decision gets made, not the exam itself. Passing the exam only puts your name on that year’s passer list; participation in kancho homon is limited to candidates who cleared the First Stage written test, and it is through these visits, not the exam score alone, that a ministry decides whether to extend an offer.

Why does a separate visit process exist at all?

The exam score alone cannot tell a ministry whether a candidate’s interests, personality and communication style actually fit the specific work that ministry does, so kancho homon exists to let both sides evaluate that fit directly. For the ministry, it is a chance to assess character, motivation and how genuinely interested a candidate is in that specific ministry’s work, things a standardized written test and a single National Personnel Authority interview cannot fully capture. For the candidate, it is a genuine opportunity to learn about a ministry’s actual day-to-day work and workplace atmosphere directly from the people who do it, before deciding whether to pursue an offer there.

Who can actually take part?

Only candidates who have cleared the exam’s First Stage written test, meaning the Basic Ability Test and division-specific Specialized Test, are eligible to participate in kancho homon; it is not open to candidates still awaiting or who failed that result. The Second Stage interview score and your overall standing on the passer list factor into how ministries and agencies view a given candidate during the visits, but clearing the First Stage is the baseline requirement to be in the room at all.

What actually happens during a visit?

The specific format varies by ministry, but broadly it functions like a hiring process on the ministry’s own terms: expect explanatory sessions about the ministry’s work, one-on-one or small-group conversations with current staff and hiring officials, and increasingly detailed questioning as a candidate progresses through multiple rounds of visits to the same ministry. The core of preparing well is straightforward in concept even if demanding in practice: research the specific ministry’s actual work thoroughly, and be ready to explain honestly why your own background and interests fit what that ministry does, rather than giving an answer that could apply equally to any ministry.

Can you visit more than one ministry?

Yes, and doing so is common, since an offer from one ministry is not guaranteed and candidates often approach several to improve their chances. The specific rules and etiquette around visiting multiple ministries, including how far you can go with one before committing, are addressed in each cycle’s guidance from the National Personnel Authority and, in practice, in norms candidates learn from each ministry’s own recruitment materials, so treat this as something to research directly for the ministries you’re actually interested in rather than assume generic rules apply.

Does a high exam score guarantee a ministry will hire you?

No. A strong written and interview score gets you into the room and can make a good first impression, but the actual hiring decision during kancho homon depends on how that specific ministry evaluates you in person, which is a genuinely separate judgment from your numerical ranking on the passer list. A candidate ranked lower on the passer list can still receive an offer if a ministry wants them, and a candidate ranked higher is not guaranteed one; this is the core reason passing the General Service exam is described as reaching the passer list, not as securing a job.

How should you prepare for it?

Treat kancho homon as its own distinct stage requiring its own preparation, separate from studying for the written exam or the National Personnel Authority interview. Researching specific ministries, understanding what kind of work each one actually does day to day, and being able to speak concretely about why you want that particular ministry rather than a generic answer about wanting to serve the public, tends to matter far more here than it did for the written stages.

Frequently asked questions

Is kancho homon part of the official exam, or something separate? It is a separate hiring process run by individual ministries and agencies, distinct from the exam itself, though it only becomes available to candidates who have cleared the exam’s First Stage.

Do I need to have passed the Second Stage interview to take part? Participation is generally tied to clearing the First Stage written test; check the current cycle’s guidance for exactly how the Second Stage result factors into eligibility and timing for kancho homon specifically.

Can I be rejected during kancho homon even with a top exam score? Yes. Ministries make independent hiring decisions during kancho homon based on their own evaluation of a candidate, which is separate from the numerical passer-list ranking.

How many ministries can I realistically approach? There is no fixed limit stated in the exam’s core eligibility rules, and approaching multiple ministries is common practice, though the specific norms and etiquette are worth researching directly from each cycle’s guidance.

What happens if no ministry makes me an offer? Being on the passer list does not guarantee a job offer from any specific ministry; a candidate who does not receive an offer through kancho homon in one cycle would need to consider their options for a future cycle or other paths.