Future job survey: Japanese boys like to become police officers, girls like to work in a bakery.

A recent survey on the future dream jobs of children studying in primary schools in Japan has revealed that police officers are the most popular job among boys, and bakery workers are the most popular among girls. This survey was conducted online by Kuraray, a leading chemical products manufacturing company in Japan.

The survey was conducted with the participation of 4,000 children, including 2,000 boys and 2,000 girls who will enter primary school in 2026. The results of this survey were released coinciding with Children's Day, which fell on Tuesday.

In the list of favorite jobs for girls, cake shop and bakery worker has secured the first place, maintaining that position continuously for 28 years since the survey began in 1999. This time, the percentage of children who chose this job is 21.2%. Additionally, the second place, with a percentage of 10.6%, went to children who wish to become a TV personality, singer, or model, while an ice cream shop worker came in third with 5.5%. This is their highest percentage ever. 2.5% of girls expressed a desire to become a firefighter and relief worker, which is an increase compared to the previous year's 1.3%.

Among boys, 15.6% expressed a desire to become a police officer, and this job has secured the first place for the second time. The second place went to an athlete with a percentage of 12.3%, with 52.2% of those athletes wishing to become a football player, 21.2% a baseball player, and 3.3% a basketball player. Furthermore, 10.8% expressed a desire to become a firefighter and relief worker, securing the third place.

Compared to 20 years ago, the desire to become a baseball player has decreased by about 10 percent, while the popularity of fields such as athletics and martial arts has increased. Additionally, some boys have also expressed a desire to become an esports player.

This survey also asked parents what kind of job they would like their children to pursue in the future, and for the second time, civil servant remains the parents' favorite job. An official from Kuraray stated that these results reflect parents' desire for their children to have a stable job. Among parents of boys, the second and third places went to corporate employee and athlete, respectively. Among parents of girls, nurse came in second, and corporate employee came in third. Kuraray manufactures Clarino synthetic leather, which is used for randoseru bags for primary school children.