A person working as a Mechanic in Japan typically earns around 203,000 JPY per month. Salaries range from 95,200 JPY (lowest) to 320,000 JPY (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Mechanic salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Mechanic salaries in Japan range from 95,200 JPY per month (minimum salary) to 320,000 JPY per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 215,000 JPY per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Mechanic(s) are earning less than 215,000 JPY while the other half are earning more than 215,000 JPY. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Mechanic(s) are earning less than 139,000 JPY while 75% of them are earning more than 139,000 JPY. Also from the diagram, 75% of Mechanic(s) are earning less than 283,000 JPY while 25% are earning more than 283,000 JPY.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Mechanic salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Mechanic with less than two years of experience makes approximately 110,000 JPY per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 151,000 JPY per month, 38% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 216,000 JPY per month, 42% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Mechanic(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 263,000 JPY per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 277,000 JPY per month, 6% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 302,000 JPY per month, 9% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 110,000 JPY | |
2 - 5 Years | +38% | 151,000 JPY |
5 - 10 Years | +42% | 216,000 JPY |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 263,000 JPY |
15 - 20 Years | +6% | 277,000 JPY |
20+ Years | +9% | 302,000 JPY |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Mechanic salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of a Mechanic is 131,000 JPY per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 199,000 JPY per month, 51% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 298,000 JPY per month, 50% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
High School | 131,000 JPY | |
Certificate or Diploma | +51% | 199,000 JPY |
Bachelor's Degree | +50% | 298,000 JPY |
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Mechanic employees in Japan earn 6% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 209,000 JPY | |
Female | -6% | 197,000 JPY |
Mechanic(s) in Japan are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 8% | |
Energy | 7% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 5% | |
Travel | 4% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 2% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Japan for the year 2021. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Mechanic is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
66% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 34% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 34% | |
No Bonus | 66% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Mechanic is 40% less than that of Automotive. Also, Automotive salaries are 35% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
After Sales Automotive Manager | 572,000 JPY | ![]() |
Alignment Technician | 176,000 JPY | ![]() |
Auto Damage Adjuster | 222,000 JPY | ![]() |
Auto Detailer | 202,000 JPY | ![]() |
Auto Parts Manager | 678,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Assembler | 204,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Assembly Manager | 602,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Body Repairer | 199,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Branch Manager | 871,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Central Planner | 276,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Electrician | 233,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Estimating Manager | 519,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Estimator | 409,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive General Manager | 971,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Inventory Officer | 189,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Parts Supplier | 297,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Project Engineer | 363,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Project Manager | 676,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Purchase Manager | 760,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Sales | 394,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Technician | 208,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Test Engineer | 360,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Warranty Administrator | 347,000 JPY | ![]() |
Automotive Warranty Clerk | 229,000 JPY | ![]() |
Car Parts and Accessories Fitter | 183,000 JPY | ![]() |
Damage Appraiser | 284,000 JPY | ![]() |
Diesel Engine Specialist | 289,000 JPY | ![]() |
Job Card Opener | 193,000 JPY | ![]() |
Lube Technician | 161,000 JPY | ![]() |
Master File Maintenance | 275,000 JPY | ![]() |
Materials Planner | 303,000 JPY | ![]() |
Mechanic | 203,000 JPY | ![]() |
Motor Vehicle Inspector | 308,000 JPY | ![]() |
Service Advisor | 378,000 JPY | ![]() |
Service Manager | 620,000 JPY | ![]() |
Stock Controller | 264,000 JPY | ![]() |
Technical Advisor | 396,000 JPY | ![]() |
Tire Retreader | 193,000 JPY | ![]() |
Used Car Manager | 512,000 JPY | ![]() |
Vehicle Body Maker | 239,000 JPY | ![]() |
Vehicle Examiner | 275,000 JPY | ![]() |
Vehicle Painter | 163,000 JPY | ![]() |
Vehicle Trimmer | 183,000 JPY | ![]() |
Welder | 165,000 JPY | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Fukuoka | 206,000 JPY |
Hiroshima | 191,000 JPY |
Kawasaki | 196,000 JPY |
Kobe | 199,000 JPY |
Kyoto | 196,000 JPY |
Nagoya | 207,000 JPY |
Osaka | 209,000 JPY |
Saitama | 193,000 JPY |
Sapporo | 205,000 JPY |
Sendai | 170,000 JPY |
Tokyo | 213,000 JPY |
Yokohama | 211,000 JPY |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Japan earn 4% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 504,000 JPY | |
Public Sector | +4% | 525,000 JPY |