TOEIC Test Dates in Japan: September 2026 Schedule

Japan has two TOEIC Listening and Reading public-test dates in September 2026: Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 27. Both application windows have already closed. The respective deadlines were July 29 at 15:00 and August 14 at 15:00 Japan time.

The dates are not equally available across Japan. Our count of the marked rows in IIBC's official 2026 test-area matrix found 14 test areas on September 5 and 62 on September 27. Both dates have morning and afternoon administrations, but candidates cannot take both sessions on the same day.

If the required path includes spoken English, start a free SpeakShark conversation for general speaking practice. Keep IIBC and ETS material for the TOEIC format itself.

Key takeaways

• TOEIC L&R runs on September 5 and September 27, 2026 in Japan.
• Registration is closed for both dates as of August 28.
• The official area matrix marks 14 areas for September 5 and 62 for September 27.
• The standard fee is JPY 7,810 with a printed certificate or JPY 7,700 without one.
• Digital Official Score Certificates are scheduled for September 25 and October 15.
• The next public date is October 25, with registration closing on September 10 at 15:00.

In this guide: schedule | test areas | times | fees | tickets | results | test choice | next date | research | FAQ

September 2026 TOEIC dates and deadlines

IIBC's annual public-test calendar gives two September administrations. Both are the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test in Secure Program, commonly described on the Japanese site as the L&R public test.

All times in the application table are Japan time. A candidate who has not already completed an application cannot buy a normal public-test place for either September date now.

The early deadlines matter. The September 5 window closed 38 days before the test, while the September 27 window closed 44 days before the test. Waiting until the month of the exam is therefore not a workable booking strategy in Japan.

This Japan schedule is structurally different from the dense computer-session inventory in our France TOEIC dates guide. One TOEIC brand can have very different local calendars because the national administrator controls registration and delivery.

The questions to ask before booking an English test are useful when an employer or university has not stated the exact TOEIC product.

Fourteen test areas versus sixty-two

IIBC publishes a one-page matrix with test areas as rows and annual public dates as columns. We counted every marked row in the two September columns.

The 14 areas marked for September 5 are:

1. Sapporo
2. Miyagi
3. Saitama
4. Chiba
5. Tokyo
6. Kanagawa
7. Ishikawa
8. Shizuoka
9. Aichi
10. Kyoto
11. Osaka
12. Hyogo
13. Hiroshima
14. Fukuoka

September 27 has much broader coverage. Its 62 marked areas run from Sapporo, Hakodate and Asahikawa in Hokkaido through regional centres in Tohoku, Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Kansai, Chugoku and Shikoku, then Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Okinawa.

This count is useful because the national headline dates alone can imply equal access. They do not. Someone outside the 14 September 5 areas may have needed extra travel or the later date.

An area is not the same as a centre. IIBC lets an applicant choose the regional test site, such as Tokyo or Osaka, but IIBC assigns the exact test centre. The centre cannot be selected or changed by the candidate. The assigned details appear in the admission-ticket information.

For another Japanese national exam with a different site model, compare the EIKEN national test network and the full EIKEN 2026 and 2027 date calendar.

Morning and afternoon test-day times

Both September TOEIC dates have one morning and one afternoon administration.

IIBC's guidelines say a candidate cannot take both the morning and afternoon sessions on the same test date. The selected time also cannot be changed after the application is submitted.

Plan transport around the check-in window, not only the test start. Late arrival can prevent admission. A wristwatch is allowed for timekeeping, but phones, desk clocks, stopwatches and wearable devices are not accepted as clocks during the test.

TOEIC fees in Japan

The current individual public-test fee depends on whether a paper certificate is requested.

Every candidate receives a digital Official Score Certificate. The additional JPY 110 applies when the printed version is requested.

The repeat discount is not an open coupon. IIBC applies it automatically to one eligible public test held from six months after the previous test through the same month of the following year. The same account must be used. Voucher routes can have different conditions.

IIBC accepts Visa, Mastercard and JCB credit cards, specified convenience stores, and Rakuten Pay. Paid fees are generally non-refundable. Check the live application page because prices and discount rules can change.

The English certificate expiry comparison helps separate score age from test price. A receiver's age limit is a different rule from IIBC's certificate issue or reissue service.

Admission ticket and ID checklist

The September 5 admission ticket was scheduled for posting on August 24. Its undelivered inquiry period runs from August 28 through September 4. For September 27, posting is scheduled for September 14, followed by an inquiry period from September 18 through September 25.

Candidates should also inspect the Test Information section in their IIBC account. The exact venue comes from IIBC rather than from a venue choice made during checkout.

Bring all required items:

• The admission-ticket information.
• One compliant identification photograph with the requested details written on the back.
• One original, valid photo ID accepted for the candidate's nationality and status.
• HB pencils or mechanical pencils and erasers.
• A permitted wristwatch if needed.

IIBC warns that a candidate without both the photograph and accepted photo ID is not admitted and does not receive a refund.

For non-Japanese candidates, the accepted list includes a residence card, passport, special permanent resident certificate, or physical My Number card. A foreign driver's licence, employee ID and ordinary student ID do not replace that list. The registered name must match the ID.

The application route is also limited to Japanese nationals or people actually resident in Japan. A traveller should not assume that a Japan date is open merely because it appears in a public calendar.

Result dates and deadline planning

The September 5 digital Official Score Certificate is scheduled for September 25. The September 27 certificate is scheduled for October 15.

IIBC's general result process says scores normally become visible online 17 days after the test and the digital certificate is issued later. The dated annual calendar remains the safer source for a specific administration because weekends and holidays can affect the exact day.

TOEIC L&R is not pass or fail. Listening and Reading are each reported from 5 to 495, creating a total from 10 to 990 in five-point increments. The employer, school or programme chooses the acceptable score.

Work backwards through these questions:

1. Does the receiver accept TOEIC Listening and Reading?
2. What total and section scores are required?
3. Does it need the digital certificate or a printed document?
4. Must IIBC send or verify the score directly?
5. What is the last date the receiver accepts evidence?
6. Is there enough time for a retake?

The CEFR speaking-level guide can explain broad language levels, but it cannot convert an unpublished employer policy into a TOEIC cutoff.

What TOEIC L&R does and does not test

TOEIC L&R contains 200 multiple-choice questions completed in about two hours. Listening has 100 questions in roughly 45 minutes. Reading has 100 questions in 75 minutes. ETS describes the content as workplace communication involving conversations, announcements, emails, reports and schedules.

The result measures receptive English. It does not directly test speaking or writing. This distinction matters when a job advertisement says "English communication" without naming an assessment.

If spoken output is required, read the TOEIC Speaking format guide, OPIc versus TOEIC Speaking, and the OPIc Japan and Korea overview before assuming the L&R score is enough.

Candidates using English at work may also practise office small talk, job interview role plays, and speaking alone. Start free speaking practice with SpeakShark for general fluency, not confidential exam content.

Our free speaking-level check measures a different skill from a TOEIC L&R result. One should not be presented as a substitute for the other.

What to do if you missed September

The next listed Japan public test is Sunday, October 25, 2026. Its application window runs from July 29 at 10:00 to September 10 at 15:00 Japan time. The digital certificate is scheduled for November 12.

The following date is November 15. Its application window closes on October 5 at 15:00, and its digital certificate is scheduled for December 4.

Use this booking sequence:

1. Get the receiver's accepted test and score rule in writing.
2. Create or reuse the IIBC account required for the application.
3. Check whether the preferred test area is marked for that date.
4. Choose morning or afternoon before paying.
5. Decide whether a printed certificate is necessary.
6. Verify the registered name against the accepted photo ID.
7. Save the confirmation and monitor the admission-ticket information.

If the receiver accepts an online English test instead, compare the current Duolingo English Test dates and result process. Product acceptance must come first; a later TOEIC date is not automatically worse than an earlier but unaccepted test.

For broader daily practice choices, see the best English speaking apps in 2026 and ways to practise speaking online. Neither changes IIBC's booking deadline.

How we researched this guide

On August 28, 2026, we checked IIBC's Japanese annual schedule, English application pages, fee table, admission-ticket calendar, test-day rules and 2026 test-area PDF. We also opened the official IIBC page through the existing browser profile to confirm its current visible October and November application state.

For the location analysis, we extracted the official one-page matrix and counted the marked rows under the September 5 and September 27 columns. The totals were 14 and 62. We manually checked the 14-area list and did not turn example centres into guaranteed venues.

ETS's official TOEIC L&R material was used to confirm the global purpose and format. IIBC remained authoritative for Japan dates, fees, eligibility, IDs and local administration.

We did not use SpeakShark customer or payment data. We did not reproduce confidential questions, infer available seats, or claim a September place remained bookable after its deadline.

We are a speaking improvement tool. We are not an exam preparation provider, and we are not affiliated with ETS, IIBC, TOEIC, Pearson or any exam board. For test format, booking and official practice material, go to the exam body directly. Use SpeakShark to make your spoken English stronger, and use official material to learn the test.

FAQ

IIBC scheduled TOEIC Listening and Reading public tests for Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 27, 2026. Both have morning and afternoon administrations. Registration closed on July 29 for September 5 and August 14 for September 27, so neither date accepted a new public-test application when this guide was checked on August 28.

No, not through the ordinary IIBC public-test route as of August 28. The September 5 application window ran from June 4 to July 29, and the September 27 window ran from July 14 to August 14. The next listed public test is October 25, with applications due by 15:00 Japan time on September 10.

Our count of IIBC's official test-area matrix found 14 marked areas for September 5 and 62 for September 27. The first date covers major areas including Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. The second has much wider national coverage. Applicants choose a test area, but IIBC assigns the exact test centre.

IIBC lists JPY 7,810 including tax when a printed Official Score Certificate is requested, or JPY 7,700 for a digital certificate only. The repeat discount is JPY 6,710 for eligible tests through December 2026, with another JPY 110 reduction when no printed certificate is requested. Confirm the checkout before paying.

IIBC schedules the digital Official Score Certificate for September 25 after the September 5 test and October 15 after the September 27 test. Its general results page says the score normally becomes viewable online 17 days after testing and the digital certificate follows later. Use the date-specific calendar when planning a deadline.

No. TOEIC Listening and Reading contains 100 listening questions and 100 reading questions and reports a total score from 10 to 990. It does not assess spoken output. If an employer or school requests speaking, confirm whether it wants TOEIC Speaking, Speaking and Writing, or a different named assessment before booking.

For general spoken English, start free daily practice. Premium costs $10 for one month, $25 for three months, or $69 for one year. See pricing.

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Sources

1. IIBC annual TOEIC L&R schedule, checked for September dates, application windows and certificate dates.
2. IIBC 2026 test-area matrix, counted by date column for the 14 and 62 area totals.
3. IIBC English application and fee page, checked for eligibility, payment methods and current fees.
4. IIBC admission-ticket calendar, checked for posting and inquiry dates.
5. IIBC English test-day information, checked for times, required photograph and accepted IDs.
6. IIBC English results page, checked for score scale and delivery process.
7. ETS TOEIC Listening and Reading, checked for purpose and global test format.
8. SpeakShark pricing, checked for current free and paid options.

TOEIC dates, areas, exact centres, fees, rules and result dates can change. Confirm the live IIBC page and the receiver's accepted evidence before paying or travelling.