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Real-life Professor Oak? Pokémon Company recruiting PhD holders in science and agriculture

Casey Baseel Mar 12, 2026
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Doctorate degree, bilingual communication skills, and research regarding plants and animals are only requirement for mysterious position with Pokémon Company.

Professor Oak has a pretty good job, doesn’t he? As the Kanto Region’s leading Pokémon scholar, he spends his days using his intellect to deepen mankind’s understanding of, and affinity for, all sorts of Pocket Monster species.

Of course, Oak isn’t the only great mind in his field, as other regions have their own Pokémon Professors, and that apparently goes for our world too, as the Pokémon Company has posted a job opening for a real-world professor-caliber candidate.

In Japanese, the Pokémon Professors are called hakase, meaning “doctor,” as in someone with a PhD. On Monday, the Pokémon Company placed a posting on Japanese professional recruiting site HRMOS with the title “Seeking doctoral candidates.” The required qualifications are similarly broad, with only three listed:

1. A PhD in science and engineering or agriculture
2. Ecological research experience related to plants or animals
3. Japanese and English language skills

As long as you’ve got those three, the Pokémon Company would like to hear from you, and they’ll figure out what your exact assignment in the company will be based on your skill set and experience. Salary will be negotiated in the range of 7 to 11 million yen (US$45,000-$71,000), with the potential of yearly raises each spring.

While the requirement of detailed scientific knowledge of plants or animals might sound like the Pokémon Company is ready to start trying to create actual Pocket Monsters, it’s more likely that they’re seeking such expertise to help with design work and spin-off projects for the franchise. Though they all have fantastic elements, many Pokémon species draw inspiration from real-world flora and fauna, and creating what feel like viable ecosystems for the worlds of the games and anime go a long way in creating a sense of immersion and fun for fans. As a matter of fact, the Pokémon Company already has at least one PhD on staff, Yoshinari Yonehara, a doctor of agriculture, who was in charge of creating the Pokécology encyclopedia of Pokémon ecology, a book with illustrations from Chihiro Kinoshita, a fellow agricultural doctorate and sea turtle researcher. There’s also been a Pokémon museum exhibit that uses Pokémon skeleton sculptures to teach kids about fossils, and half of Poképark Kanto, the Pokémon amusement park area that recently opened in Tokyo, is a nature walk, presenting another way in which the franchise intersects with real-world nature.

▼ Pokécology, published by Shogakukan

The mention of both Japanese and English communication skills in the job listing indicates that non-Japanese applicants are welcome, though as this is a non-remote position, the successful candidate will need to commute to the Pokémon Company’s headquarters in downtown Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood.

Source: HRMOS, Denfamico Gamer
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Insert images: Shogakukan
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