Railway drivers in Japan earn on average ¥388,000 a month in base pay and ¥463,600 including overtime and allowances, plus ¥1.63m in annual bonuses: about ¥7.19m a year (2025; all occupations ¥5.46m). Average age 41.0, average tenure 19.5 years. Women's base pay is 92.3% of men's.
By sex
| Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) | Age | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ¥390,200 | ¥7.26m | 41.6 | 20.1 |
| Women | ¥360,100 | ¥6.34m | 33.2 | 11.3 |
By company size
| Company size | Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000+ employees | ¥388,300 | ¥7.22m |
| 100–999 employees | ¥400,100 | ¥7.41m |
| 10–99 employees | ¥272,200 | ¥4.42m |
By age (monthly base pay)
| 20-24 | ¥250,700 |
| 25-29 | ¥312,900 |
| 30-34 | ¥339,000 |
| 35-39 | ¥399,400 |
| 40-44 | ¥431,100 |
| 45-49 | ¥449,200 |
| 50-54 | ¥454,400 |
| 55-59 | ¥410,900 |
| 60-64 | ¥338,100 |
| 65-69 | ¥254,700 |
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 transport and machine operation workers occupations: Bus drivers · Taxi drivers · Passenger automobile drivers (except taxi drivers) · Commercial heavy goods vehicle drivers · Commercial goods vehicle drivers (except heavy vehicles) · Own-account goods vehicle drivers · Other motor vehicle drivers · Aircraft pilots