Pay in Japan by occupation

MHLW's Basic Survey on Wage Structure, 2025.

¥5.46maverage estimated annual pay, all occupations
¥340,600monthly base pay (scheduled)
76.6%women's base pay as % of men's

What people earn in Japan, by occupation, from MHLW's Basic Survey on Wage Structure for 2025: 144 occupations, sorted by estimated annual pay. Open an occupation for its breakdown by age, company size and sex.

OccupationAnnual pay (est.)Monthly base payAverage age
Aircraft pilots¥16.32m¥1,179,50039.7
Doctors¥15.12m¥1,027,70045.7
Other management, finance, and insurance professionals¥11.35m¥714,30039.4
University professors (incl. colleges of technology)¥10.83m¥664,90057.5
Dental surgeons¥10.63m¥824,20039.6
Legal workers¥9.81m¥614,50046.5
Administrative and managerial workers¥9.67m¥591,00051.5
System consultants and designers¥8.89m¥506,80038.3
University associate professors (incl. colleges of technology)¥8.76m¥547,90049.3
Certified public accountants, licensed tax accountants¥8.11m¥533,70042.2
Researchers¥8.02m¥491,50042.5
Planning clerical workers¥7.37m¥430,50043.0
Elementary and junior high school teachers¥7.35m¥447,10042.2
Transportation equipment engineers¥7.25m¥389,10041.4
Railway drivers¥7.19m¥388,00041.0
University lecturers and assistant professors (incl. colleges of technology)¥7.12m¥466,10041.6
Power plant and substation workers¥7.07m¥390,60042.3
Electrical, electronic, telecommunications engineers (except communication network engineers)¥7.04m¥398,20042.1
Veterinary surgeons¥6.81m¥453,10038.7
Architectural engineers¥6.79m¥407,50043.4
Finance sales workers¥6.74m¥374,90037.1
Authors, journalists, editors¥6.73m¥400,40041.5
Senior high school teachers¥6.66m¥421,50043.9
Quasi-sales workers¥6.65m¥406,00040.4
Other sales workers¥6.61m¥399,00042.4
Machinery, communication and system sales workers (except automobiles)¥6.59m¥387,90042.2
Machinery engineers¥6.59m¥375,90042.3
Chemical engineers¥6.42m¥376,00041.5
Electric construction workers¥6.28m¥361,50041.6
Civil engineers¥6.25m¥384,10046.0
Engineers not classified elsewhere¥6.12m¥366,00043.9
Other data processing and communication engineers¥6.10m¥379,10042.2
Metal engineers¥6.07m¥347,70043.8
Onboard and quayside cargo handlers¥6.01m¥330,60042.9
Other machine maintenance and repair workers¥5.98m¥350,20042.5
Automobile assembly workers¥5.92m¥328,40041.0
Secretaries¥5.92m¥375,80045.7
Pig-iron forging, steelmaking, non-ferrous metal smelting workers¥5.88m¥324,30042.1
Crane, winch operators¥5.87m¥359,00047.7
Automobile sales workers¥5.86m¥347,10039.9
Specialist professionals not classified elsewhere¥5.83m¥356,00041.7
Conductors¥5.83m¥327,50039.0
Transport and post clerical workers¥5.80m¥346,50048.6
Software creators¥5.78m¥356,80037.1
Flight attendants¥5.72m¥384,20032.7
General-purpose, manufacturing, business-use and electro-mechanical apparatus maintenance and repair workers¥5.71m¥322,40042.7
Pharmacists¥5.67m¥369,70040.1
Midwives¥5.67m¥343,90041.2
Other merchandise sales workers¥5.58m¥358,70042.0
Diagnostic radiographers¥5.56m¥346,10041.1
Public health nurses¥5.51m¥340,40042.4
Chemical product manufacturing workers¥5.50m¥319,90041.7
Outdoor service workers¥5.47m¥337,50049.4
Workers in religion¥5.46m¥362,10046.5
Musicians and stage performers¥5.44m¥380,30037.2
Production-related clerical workers¥5.44m¥325,70045.7
Surveyors¥5.43m¥344,10046.1
Comprehensive clerical workers¥5.41m¥331,90044.6
Insurance sales workers¥5.41m¥392,00046.8
Designers¥5.40m¥353,40039.1
Other general clerical workers¥5.29m¥331,80044.0
General affairs and human resources clerks¥5.25m¥326,10044.9
Sales and marketing clerical workers¥5.25m¥327,80043.3
Nurses¥5.25m¥333,20042.1
Pipe laying workers¥5.23m¥335,70042.9
Machine inspection workers¥5.23m¥310,60043.7
General-purpose, manufacturing, and business-use mechanical apparatus assembly workers¥5.23m¥310,30042.3
Accountancy clerks¥5.12m¥321,30044.0
Cast metal manufacturing and forging workers¥5.07m¥291,60043.4
Commercial heavy goods vehicle drivers¥5.07m¥306,30051.5
Ironworkers, boilermakers¥5.07m¥310,90043.5
Automobile maintenance and repair workers¥5.04m¥305,50040.6
Other teachers¥5.03m¥327,40046.0
Painters, coating and signboard workers¥4.98m¥310,70041.6
Artists, photographers, film operators¥4.92m¥311,00039.8
Construction, well-drilling machinery operators¥4.88m¥335,70049.5
Carpenters¥4.85m¥326,70050.2
Metal machine tools workers¥4.84m¥288,80042.8
Clinical laboratory technicians¥4.82m¥307,40040.2
Drafting and other manufacturing-related and quasi-manufacturing workers¥4.71m¥305,90041.5
Transport workers not classified elsewhere¥4.70m¥289,00047.1
Ceramic, earth, and stone product manufacturing workers¥4.68m¥283,90043.8
Other construction workers¥4.67m¥326,40041.6
Other product manufacturing and processing workers (metal products)¥4.65m¥285,60045.3
Product inspection workers (metal products)¥4.60m¥279,50044.0
Dental technicians¥4.59m¥301,00041.6
Rubber, plastic product manufacturing workers¥4.58m¥275,20043.0
Metal press workers¥4.58m¥276,30042.7
Printing and bookbinding workers¥4.58m¥290,00044.6
Other machine assembly workers¥4.58m¥276,60043.3
Metal welding and fusion cutting workers¥4.55m¥277,20041.8
Sheet metal workers¥4.54m¥283,90043.0
Other health care workers¥4.54m¥294,90037.6
Bus drivers¥4.53m¥262,80056.0
Other stationary and construction machinery operators¥4.52m¥285,30047.3
Taxi drivers¥4.51m¥306,40056.8
Commercial goods vehicle drivers (except heavy vehicles)¥4.49m¥287,30050.3
Metal engraving and surface treatment workers¥4.48m¥280,20043.1
Electro-mechanical apparatus assembly workers¥4.46m¥273,10044.1
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and orthoptists¥4.44m¥298,20036.2
Kindergarten teachers and certified childcare teachers¥4.43m¥285,90039.1
Private tutors¥4.42m¥305,90038.3
Other social welfare specialist professionals¥4.42m¥292,00046.0
Care managers (long-term care support specialists)¥4.41m¥298,80053.1
Dam and tunnel excavation workers, mine workers¥4.39m¥289,50052.5
Civil engineering workers, railway line construction workers¥4.35m¥299,90046.7
Wooden and paper product manufacturing workers¥4.34m¥269,70044.9
Other motor vehicle drivers¥4.31m¥280,10053.6
Own-account goods vehicle drivers¥4.30m¥282,20052.5
Office appliance operators¥4.29m¥279,50043.4
Childcare workers¥4.28m¥279,20040.3
Assistant nurses¥4.28m¥279,40051.8
Product inspection workers (except metal products)¥4.21m¥266,70043.2
Construction skeleton workers¥4.15m¥302,70041.9
Other product manufacturing and processing workers (except metal products)¥4.11m¥261,70044.0
Telephone receptionists¥4.07m¥278,10043.6
Other carrying workers¥4.07m¥262,70046.3
Nutritionists¥4.04m¥266,90038.9
Other service workers¥4.03m¥264,10043.4
Cleaning workers (except buildings), waste treatment workers¥3.99m¥268,40049.3
Food, beverage and tobacco manufacturing workers¥3.97m¥248,90043.5
Dental hygienists¥3.96m¥281,60036.4
Service workers in places of entertainment, etc.¥3.90m¥273,10040.6
Barbers and hairdressers¥3.89m¥303,10030.0
Care workers (medical and welfare facilities, etc.)¥3.88m¥262,90045.3
Shop assistants¥3.85m¥265,20043.6
Home visiting care workers¥3.82m¥267,30051.2
Security staff¥3.80m¥240,60053.8
Food and drink preparatory workers¥3.79m¥262,00044.9
Food and drink service workers¥3.71m¥255,10041.1
Passenger automobile drivers (except taxi drivers)¥3.71m¥244,90059.5
Residential facilities, office buildings and other management personnel¥3.70m¥253,80057.6
Personal assistance workers¥3.62m¥254,20041.9
Agriculture, forestry and fishery workers¥3.61m¥249,10049.1
Cosmetic and bath service workers (except hairdressers)¥3.54m¥268,90037.9
Carrying, cleaning, packaging, and related workers not classified elsewhere¥3.54m¥243,70050.3
Reception and guidance clerical workers¥3.53m¥240,90042.8
Other healthcare service workers¥3.52m¥247,30038.0
Care assistants¥3.37m¥224,20048.7
Packaging workers¥3.37m¥230,40046.6
Other security workers¥3.35m¥244,50056.6
Spinning, weaving, apparel, and fiber product manufacturing workers¥3.19m¥221,00045.8
Launderers, fullers¥2.98m¥211,70047.9
Building cleaning workers¥2.97m¥217,00052.1

Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (MHLW, published 2026-03-24). Full-time ("general") employees at private establishments of companies with 10 or more employees. Monthly pay is for June; bonuses are for the previous calendar year. Estimated annual pay = monthly contractual pay × 12 + annual bonus. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), via e-Stat. Compiled and translated by The Hardest Market.

Every split (age, company size, sex) and the full monthly history are in the paid dataset, as Excel, CSV and API.

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