Researchers in Japan earn on average ¥491,500 a month in base pay and ¥517,000 including overtime and allowances, plus ¥1.82m in annual bonuses: about ¥8.02m a year (2025; all occupations ¥5.46m). Average age 42.5, average tenure 12.5 years. Women's base pay is 78.0% of men's.
By sex
| Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) | Age | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ¥517,000 | ¥8.48m | 43.3 | 13.3 |
| Women | ¥403,100 | ¥6.42m | 39.8 | 9.8 |
By company size
| Company size | Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000+ employees | ¥513,600 | ¥8.37m |
| 100–999 employees | ¥444,600 | ¥7.32m |
| 10–99 employees | ¥393,000 | ¥6.27m |
By age (monthly base pay)
| 19 and under | ¥226,100 |
| 20-24 | ¥267,300 |
| 25-29 | ¥329,100 |
| 30-34 | ¥399,100 |
| 35-39 | ¥457,900 |
| 40-44 | ¥527,100 |
| 45-49 | ¥579,000 |
| 50-54 | ¥614,300 |
| 55-59 | ¥654,600 |
| 60-64 | ¥486,600 |
| 65-69 | ¥482,200 |
| 70+ | ¥1,299,600 |
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 professional and engineering workers occupations: Electrical, electronic, telecommunications engineers (except communication network engineers) · Machinery engineers · Transportation equipment engineers · Metal engineers · Chemical engineers · Architectural engineers · Civil engineers · Surveyors