In 1986, he graduated with honours from Kyrgyz Technical University with a degree in civil engineering;[1] during his studies, he was a scholar of Lenin.

In 2002, Japarov graduated from the Bishkek Academy of Finance and Economics with a degree in Financial Tax Systems, Management of Organisations.

[3] Japarov began his political career as head of the Department for Youth Policy of the presidential administration of Askar Akayev from July 1992 to 1993.

In October 1993, he became executive secretary, chief of staff of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan and held this position until April 1995.

[1][3] From 20 April 2000 to March 2005, Japarov was a member of the Legislative Assembly, the former upper house of the Supreme Council, on the party list from the Union of Democratic Forces electoral bloc.

[1] After the Tulip Revolution overthrew President Akayev, from 26 March 2005 to 27 December 2007, Japarov served as Minister of Economy and Finance under Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

[1][3][4] Japarov was a supporter of Kyrgyzstan entering the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) programme of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

[7] Temirov Live journalists found a connection between Akylbek Japarov’s close relatives and the largest company in Malta, which provides services for organizing offshore business.

[11] Information about plagiarism in most of the doctoral dissertation of the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Zhaparov was published on September 11, 2018 on the Dissernet website.

[12] It notes that 122 of the 234 pages of Japarov's 2009 dissertation, entitled “Strategy for Economic Modernization of the Kyrgyz Republic (Monetary and Financial Aspects),” were taken from other sources.

Akylbek Japarov's son-in-law Eldar Alisherov holds the position of Minister of the Eurasian Economic Commission for Customs Cooperation.

[3] In 2014, amid public allegations of land fraud, Supreme Council member Irina Karamushkina [ru] stated that Japarov is the owner of several buildings, including Damas International Hotel in Bishkek, with an approximate cost of $6 million.