The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the Career Orientation Scale and to examine of characteristics by demographics. A total of 423 working adults (208 males, 215 females) and 342 university students (134 males, 208 females) completed the questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a six-factor structure in accordance with the original version. In addition, the simultaneous multi-population analysis suggested that the Japanese version of the Career Orientation Scale is an applicable scale regardless of sex and occupational category. The test-retest reliability was found to be sufficiently high. Correlation analysis with the Career Anchor Scale showed strong correlations between the subscales which were considered conceptually corresponding. The results of correlation analysis with the Protean Career Scale and the Boundaryless Career Scale, which were considered conceptually related to career orientation, indicated sufficient validity. Furthermore, the cluster analysis suggested that several orientations increase simultaneously, and that the patterns differed from college students to working adults.