University associate professors (incl. colleges of technology) in Japan earn on average ¥547,900 a month in base pay and ¥555,900 including overtime and allowances, plus ¥2.09m in annual bonuses: about ¥8.76m a year (2025; all occupations ¥5.46m). Average age 49.3, average tenure 11.2 years. Women's base pay is 95.0% of men's.
By sex
| Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) | Age | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ¥555,800 | ¥8.93m | 49.0 | 11.6 |
| Women | ¥528,100 | ¥8.35m | 50.0 | 10.2 |
By company size
| Company size | Monthly base pay | Annual pay (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000+ employees | ¥573,800 | ¥9.25m |
| 100–999 employees | ¥507,100 | ¥8.00m |
| 10–99 employees | ¥463,000 | ¥6.83m |
By age (monthly base pay)
| 25-29 | ¥380,200 |
| 30-34 | ¥456,700 |
| 35-39 | ¥533,700 |
| 40-44 | ¥534,100 |
| 45-49 | ¥566,700 |
| 50-54 | ¥562,300 |
| 55-59 | ¥557,900 |
| 60-64 | ¥531,000 |
| 65-69 | ¥475,600 |
| 70+ | ¥360,300 |
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: Researchers · Electrical, electronic, telecommunications engineers (except communication network engineers) · Machinery engineers · Transportation equipment engineers · Metal engineers · Chemical engineers · Architectural engineers · Civil engineers