> Source: https://thecastindex.com/modelling/japan — application routes checked 2026-10-01. Generated at build time from the same data the page serves.

# How to become a model in Japan

Apply to an agency directly. Bravo, Donna and Satoru Japan in Tokyo and Japan Model Agency in Osaka take online applications, TOMORROW TOKYO takes them by email and Image by post or Google Form. Expect photo screening, then an interview. Japan’s modelling agency association says models customarily pay for lessons and promotional photos, so confirm costs before signing.

## Agencies and their official application routes

- **TOMORROW TOKYO** (Tokyo) — email: https://www.tomorrowtokyo.com/become-a-model; height: Your email must include your height. The page states no minimum.
- **Bravo Models** (Tokyo) — online form: https://www.bravomodels.net/become/; height: Lists 168–178cm for women and 180–188cm for men.; age: Lists ages 14 to 25 for women and 14 to 27 for men.
- **Donna Models** (Tokyo) — online form: http://www.donnamodels.jp/apply; height: Height is a required field on the form. The page states no minimum.
- **Image (Bon Image)** (Tokyo) — online form: https://www.image-tokyo.co.jp/company/; height: Your CV must state your height. The page states no minimum.; age: Minors must include a consent form from a parent or guardian.
- **Satoru Japan** (Tokyo) — online form: https://satorujapan.co.jp/audition/; height: Says it mainly accepts applicants of 158cm and over, as a guide rather than a fixed rule.; age: The audition is for women aged about 12 to 25 (a guide, not a fixed rule); minors need a parent’s or guardian’s consent.; safety: Says the audition is free, though travel is at your own expense, and that lessons are required for applicants without modelling experience.
- **Space Craft** (Tokyo) — email: https://www.spacecraft.co.jp/audition/form; height: The form asks for height. The page states no minimum.; age: Auditions are for applicants aged about 12 to 25 (a separate route covers babies to primary-school age); minors need a parent’s or guardian’s consent.
- **Japan Model Agency** (Osaka) — online form: http://www.jma-model.com/audition/; height: Fashion model applicants should be 168cm or taller (or still growing); the model/talent and men’s categories have no height limit.; age: Fashion model category: about 12 to 29; model/talent and men’s categories from 12 with no upper limit. Minors must complete the guardian consent section.; safety: Says there is no registration fee. Lessons at a related academy are optional and paid; it says it explains them at the interview after you pass the audition and lets you take time to decide.

## How agencies recruit

- Most models in Japan work under a management contract with an agency rather than freelance. The Japan Modeling Agencies Association (JMAA) says agencies’ requirements differ, so check age and height conditions before applying. (https://www.j-m-a-a.com/news/become-a-model/)
- Applications usually need a full-length photo and a head-and-shoulders photo with no or natural make-up; professional photos are not required. Applicants who pass photo screening are invited to an interview or audition. (https://www.j-m-a-a.com/news/become-a-model/)
- JMAA says lesson fees and the cost of promotional photos (composites) are customarily paid by the model in Japan, and advises confirming what each cost is for and how much before signing. (https://www.j-m-a-a.com/news/become-a-model/)
- Some agencies publish age and height ranges before you apply. Bravo lists 14 to 25 and 168–178cm for women, and 14 to 27 and 180–188cm for men; others, such as Donna and TOMORROW TOKYO, ask for your height without stating a minimum. (https://www.bravomodels.net/become/)
- JMAA says a minor’s agency contract needs a consent form from a parent or guardian, and several agencies listed here, including Image, Space Craft and Japan Model Agency, ask for guardian consent when a minor applies. (https://www.j-m-a-a.com/policy/model-scout/)

## Rules on fees, contracts and safeguarding

- Under the Employment Security Act, a job-placement business that charges for its services needs a licence from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Article 30). Source: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11600000/001749103.pdf
- The ministry’s guidance lists “model” (someone who appears in fashion shows or other events, or is photographed for newspapers, magazines and the like) among the few occupations for which a licensed placement business may charge the job-seeker, under a fee table it must disclose, plus for now an application fee of up to ¥710 per application. It may take no other fee in connection with placement. We could not confirm from the agencies’ own pages whether any agency listed here operates as a licensed placement business. Source: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11650000/001497513.pdf
- The Labour Standards Act bars employing a child until the end of the first 31 March after their 15th birthday. With permission from the relevant government office, children of 13 and over may do light work outside school hours, and younger children may work in film production and theatre; the employer must keep a school head’s certificate and a parent’s or guardian’s consent, and these children may not work between 8pm and 5am (Articles 56, 57 and 61). The Act does not mention modelling and applies only where a child is employed. Source: https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3567
- The National Consumer Affairs Center warns of talent and model contract problems, mostly among women in their teens and twenties, now often starting from online auditions and social media ads. It advises checking what the work involves and whether you must pay, avoiding contracts on the spot, and calling the 188 consumer hotline; cooling-off may be possible in some cases. Source: https://www.kokusen.go.jp/soudan_now/data/tm_keiyaku.html
- The Japan Modeling Agencies Association, an industry body rather than a regulator, says its members’ scouts show a company business card and a JMAA ID card, explain lesson and photo costs and cooling-off rights, never sign contracts on the spot, never push beauty devices, cosmetics or salons, and never charge high registration fees on a promise of fame. A minor’s contract needs a guardian’s consent form. Source: https://www.j-m-a-a.com/policy/model-scout/

## Official model searches

- Satoru Japan Model Audition 2026 “THE FACE NEXT”: https://satorujapan.co.jp/audition/ — Agency-run audition for women aged about 12 to 25 (Japanese, mixed-heritage and foreign residents of Japan). Online application and document screening, then an audition in Tokyo. Satoru Japan says the audition is free apart from travel, but lessons are required for applicants without experience. Page in Japanese.

## FAQ

### Do modelling agencies in Japan charge to apply?

The agencies here that mention fees say applying is free: Satoru Japan says its audition costs nothing apart from travel, and Japan Model Agency says there is no registration fee. But JMAA says lesson and promotional photo costs are customarily paid by the model, and Satoru Japan requires lessons for newcomers. Confirm every cost in writing before signing.

### How can I tell whether a scout in Japan is genuine?

JMAA says its members’ scouts show a company business card and a JMAA ID card, never sign a contract on the spot and never sell beauty products. Satoru Japan says its scouts always carry ID, never scout by email, and asks you to call its office to check.

### What age and height do Japanese agencies ask for?

It varies by agency. Bravo lists 14 to 25 and 168–178cm for women and 14 to 27 and 180–188cm for men; Satoru Japan uses about 12 to 25 and 158cm as a guide; Japan Model Agency’s fashion category is about 12 to 29 and 168cm or taller; Donna and TOMORROW TOKYO state no minimum height.

### Can under-18s model in Japan?

Yes, with a parent’s or guardian’s consent, which Image, Space Craft, Satoru Japan and Japan Model Agency all require. Separately, the Labour Standards Act bars employing a child until the first 31 March after their 15th birthday except with official permission, and the Act does not say how it applies to modelling.

### Can foreigners apply to Japanese agencies?

Satoru Japan’s audition is open to foreign women living in Japan, and TOMORROW TOKYO lists a separate email address for international applicants. Bravo and Image say they recruit Japanese and mixed-heritage models.

### What if I was pressured into a model contract?

The National Consumer Affairs Center says cooling-off may be possible in some cases and advises calling the 188 consumer hotline, which connects you to your local consumer centre. It recommends never signing on the spot and talking to family first.

### Is Elite Model Look open in Japan?

Japan is not among the countries listed for Elite Model Look 2026.

## Sources

- TOMORROW TOKYO — Become a Model: https://www.tomorrowtokyo.com/become-a-model
- Bravo Models — Become Bravo: https://www.bravomodels.net/become/
- Donna Models — Become a Model: http://www.donnamodels.jp/apply
- Image (Bon Image) — Company and model recruitment: https://www.image-tokyo.co.jp/company/
- Satoru Japan — THE FACE NEXT audition: https://satorujapan.co.jp/audition/
- Satoru Japan — Audition FAQ: https://satorujapan.co.jp/audition/qa.html
- Satoru Japan — 違法スカウトについて (illegal scouting warning): https://satorujapan.co.jp/information/
- Space Craft — Audition: https://www.spacecraft.co.jp/audition
- Japan Model Agency — Audition: http://www.jma-model.com/audition/
- JMAA — Member list: https://www.j-m-a-a.com/member-list/
- JMAA — モデルになりたい方へ (For people who want to become models): https://www.j-m-a-a.com/news/become-a-model/
- JMAA — モデルスカウトに関して (On model scouting): https://www.j-m-a-a.com/policy/model-scout/
- MHLW — Placement business guidelines, Chapter 6: fees: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11650000/001497513.pdf
- MHLW — Placement business guidelines, Chapter 1: overview: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11600000/001749103.pdf
- Japanese Law Translation — Labor Standards Act: https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3567
- National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan — talent and model contract warning: https://www.kokusen.go.jp/soudan_now/data/tm_keiyaku.html
- Elite Model Look 2026 — countries: https://www.elitemodellook.com/int/en/about/2026/index.htm