This paper examined the history of Counselors as profession in Japan from the perspective of professionalization. Concretely, this research focused on Industrial Counselors, because they have the prominent and long history and large vocational group. In this text, the history of Industrial Counselors in Japan was described follow three segments. First, Industrial Counseling as professional practice was imported in Japan, and the practitioners organized in the national association of Industrial Counselors from 1954 to 1980. Second, Industrial Counselors became one of the staff of Mental Health, and their association rapidly grew on the basis of certification recognized by the Ministry of Labor from 1980 to 2000. After 2000 year, the third segment of the history of Industrial Counselors, they faced the task of envision of job area and the problems of reconstructing of professional identity. Through these era, what helped the development of Industrial Counselors was especially next three elements, "Broad supply of candidates of Counselors", "Large demand as Mental Health Staff", and "Backup of Labor Policy". In conclusion, the history of Industrial Counselors was described through the conflicts between the professional ideal of the vocational group and the external social condition. From these analysis, this research suggests the significance to investigate the success or false of strategies that the vocational group projected for enforcing the job area.

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