Onboard and quayside cargo handlers in Japan earn on average ¥330,600 a month in base pay and ¥422,200 including overtime and allowances, plus ¥0.95m in annual bonuses: about ¥6.01m a year (2025; all occupations ¥5.46m). Average age 42.9, average tenure 15.1 years. Women's base pay is 65.5% of men's.
By sex
| Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) | Age | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ¥332,200 | ¥6.06m | 42.9 | 15.3 |
| Women | ¥217,700 | ¥3.06m | 43.6 | 4.5 |
By company size
| Company size | Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000+ employees | ¥288,900 | ¥5.66m |
| 100–999 employees | ¥333,500 | ¥6.35m |
| 10–99 employees | ¥333,300 | ¥5.35m |
By age (monthly base pay)
| 19 and under | ¥206,100 |
| 20-24 | ¥248,900 |
| 25-29 | ¥270,500 |
| 30-34 | ¥300,000 |
| 35-39 | ¥335,200 |
| 40-44 | ¥371,100 |
| 45-49 | ¥359,700 |
| 50-54 | ¥369,100 |
| 55-59 | ¥392,300 |
| 60-64 | ¥333,900 |
| 65-69 | ¥352,700 |
| 70+ | ¥298,900 |
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.
Other carrying, cleaning, packaging, and related workers occupations: Other carrying workers · Building cleaning workers · Cleaning workers (except buildings), waste treatment workers · Packaging workers · Carrying, cleaning, packaging, and related workers not classified elsewhere