10-Year-Old Kid Who Passed the Real Estate Agent Exam... "Studied 6 Hours Every Day" [Japanese Side]

Japan's Youngest Land and Building Transaction Agent Passer, Mizuochi Koshin-kun
"Started Because I Like Civil Law"... Now Challenging Asset Manager Certification

These days, I try to develop myself by sitting at my desk after work, but studying feels so difficult that I can't even remember how I managed it during my school days. After working hard outside, the feeling of having to put in more effort brings a sense of self-doubt...

Then, recently, I decided to pull myself together after seeing the youngest person to pass an exam in Japan. A 10-year-old became the youngest to pass the Takuchi Tatemono Torihikishi exam, which is similar to the certified real estate agent exam in Korea. It made headlines as it was reported that he studied six hours a day during summer vacation. Today, I will share the story of Mizuochi Koshin, the youngest person to pass the Takuchi Tatemono Torihikishi exam who surprised Japan.

Mizuochi, who is studying for the Financial Planner exam with his father after passing the Land and Building Transaction Agent exam. (Photo by Mizuochi YouTube channel TAKA)

The Takuchi Tatemono Torihikishi exam that Mizuochi passed is a challenging test. Every year, about 200,000 people take it, but only around 30,000 to 50,000 pass, resulting in an actual pass rate of about 15-18%. This is lower than the pass rate for the certified real estate agent exam in Korea. Mizuochi passed this exam as a fourth grader in elementary school, making him the youngest ever.

Mizuochi's extraordinary success is said to be greatly influenced by his father, who is a judicial scrivener. He developed an interest in law by reading legal literacy books for children that his father bought for him when he was young. His father explained, "Originally, even if he didn't work in a legal field, I thought it would be good for him to know the law so that as an adult, he could protect himself."

Mizuochi also showed interest. In a media interview, he said, "Civil law is meant to make everyone equal, so I like thinking about and memorizing civil law."

It was his father who encouraged him to take the Takuchi Tatemono Torihikishi qualification exam. Since Mizuochi showed a deep interest in law and because the exam subjects mostly include civil law, which is part of many national certifications and civil service exams, his father suggested it. Mizuochi set a study schedule aiming to pass, studying two hours after school on weekdays and six hours a day during summer vacation. Even though he was interested in law, the exam preparation must have been tough for a child. Mizuochi said, "It was hard. But if I had quit halfway, it would have been a waste of all the studying I had done, so I had no choice but to work hard."

Study schedule of Mizuochi-gun during preparation for the Land and Building Transaction Agent Exam. (Photo by FNN)

His father said, "At first, I taught him, but in the last month or two, I actually learned a lot from him. We took eight mock exams, and toward the end, sometimes I scored lower than him." He emphasized, "There were even times when I asked my son if he understood why a certain answer was correct." This shows that Mizuochi studied so hard that he even surpassed his expert father. It seems that his competitive nature, not wanting to lose since childhood, made his father see him as a rival, which influenced this.

Additionally, his father provided a clear reward. Mizuochi is a huge fan of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, and as a gift for passing, he was given an annual membership for seats at Hanshin Tigers games.

Mizuochi loves baseball so much that he even wore his baseball uniform to the exam venue. When asked by reporters, "Which do you like better, studying law or baseball?" he replied, "I still like baseball more than studying," showing the unmistakable demeanor of an elementary school student.

After passing the Takuchi Tatemono Torihikishi exam, he has recently been studying for the Financial Planner exam, which is similar to a wealth manager certification in Korea. Following his father’s footsteps, he dreams of becoming a judicial scrivener in the future and is preparing for it in various ways. Reporters commented, "Through this boy, we learned the power of liking something and the power of perseverance." We look forward to him growing into a judicial scrivener who helps many people in the future.