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Software Engineer Average Salary in Japan 2024

How much money does a person working as Software Engineer make in Japan?


Average Monthly Salary
514,000 JPY
( 6,170,000 JPY yearly)

LOW
278,000
JPY
AVERAGE
514,000
JPY
HIGH
777,000
JPY
All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Software Engineer in Japan typically earns around 514,000 JPY. Salaries range from 278,000 JPY (lowest) to 777,000 JPY (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Software Engineer salaries in Japan vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Software Engineer Pay Scale and Salaries in Japan

Median and salary distribution Japan Software Engineer monthly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
458,000 JPY or more
10% of people earn
410,000 to 458,000 JPY
20% of people earn
305,000 JPY or less
65% of people earn
305,000 to 410,000 JPY
Minimum Salary
278,000 JPY
Median
460,000 JPY
Maximum
777,000 JPY




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Software Engineer in Japan range from 278,000 JPY (starting salary) to 777,000 JPY (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 460,000 JPY, half of the professionals who work as Software Engineer in Japan earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Software Engineer in Japan earn less than 385,000 JPY, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 519,000 JPY while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Software Engineer in Japan compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 305,000 JPY to 410,000 JPY. About 20% of salaries are below the 305,000 JPY mark, while 10% fall within the range of 410,000 JPY to 458,000 JPY. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 458,000 JPY.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Software Engineer / Japan

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
323,000 JPY
2 - 5 Years+26%
407,000 JPY
5 - 10 Years+32%
537,000 JPY
10 - 15 Years+18%
632,000 JPY
15 - 20 Years+11%
699,000 JPY
20+ Years+6%
744,000 JPY
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience monthly Japan Software Engineer
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Software Engineer and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per month except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 323,000 JPY.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 407,000 JPY, 26% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 537,000 JPY, 32% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 632,000 JPY, 18% 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 699,000 JPY, 11% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 744,000 JPY, 6% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Software Engineer / Japan

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Software Engineer.

Certificate or Diploma
407,000 JPY
Bachelor's Degree+32%
537,000 JPY
Master's Degree+37%
737,000 JPY
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level monthly Japan Software Engineer
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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 salaries by education level for the position Software Engineer in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: Certificate or Diploma

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 407,000 JPY.


Level 2: Bachelor's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 537,000 JPY, 32% more than the previous level.


Level 3: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 737,000 JPY, 37% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Japan costs anywhere from 2,580,000 JPY to 7,750,000 JPY and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.

You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.

Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.

If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Software Engineer / Japan

Salary comparison by gender Japan Software Engineer monthly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Software Engineer in Japan, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.

Male
526,000 JPY
Female-5%
501,000 JPY
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in Japan for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender monthly Japan
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Software Engineer / Japan

How much are annual salary increments in Japan for individuals working as Software Engineer? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Software Engineer in Japan are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate Japan Software Engineer
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

Japan / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate Japan
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare 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.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

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

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in Japan is 6%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Software Engineer / Japan

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate Japan Software Engineer
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47% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 53% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 4% to 5% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
53%
No Bonus
47%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, 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 Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

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.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting 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:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


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.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

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.

Average Hourly Wage / Software Engineer / Japan


2,970 JPY per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Software Engineer in Japan is 2,970 JPY.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

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 fixed 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.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Software Engineer in Japan is 1,600 JPY. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Information Technology-100%
Applications Engineer452,000 JPY-12%
Big Data Architect606,000 JPY+18%
BigQuery Specialist646,000 JPY+26%
Business Intelligence Analyst545,000 JPY+6%
Business Intelligence Consultant717,000 JPY+39%
Business Intelligence Manager738,000 JPY+43%
Business Systems Analyst458,000 JPY-11%
Data Quality Analyst501,000 JPY-3%
Data-driven Designer467,000 JPY-9%
Director of Application Development795,000 JPY+55%
Disaster Recovery Analyst481,000 JPY-6%
Disaster Recovery Specialist483,000 JPY-6%
Enterprise Infrastructure Architect655,000 JPY+27%
ERP Analyst547,000 JPY+6%
Functional Analyst530,000 JPY+3%
Information Technology Systems Analyst553,000 JPY+8%
Information Technology Training Analyst514,000 JPY-0%
Neo4J Specialist520,000 JPY+1%
OPS Manager693,000 JPY+35%
Principal Data Engineer509,000 JPY-1%
Reporting Analyst505,000 JPY-2%
Salesforce Administrator480,000 JPY-7%
Snowflake Specialist514,000 JPY-0%
SOA Analyst481,000 JPY-6%
Software Analyst496,000 JPY-4%
Software Architect504,000 JPY-2%
Software Engineer514,000 JPY-0%
Solutions Architect720,000 JPY+40%
Systems Analyst505,000 JPY-2%
Systems Architect522,000 JPY+1%
Technical Analyst469,000 JPY-9%
Technology Business Analyst506,000 JPY-2%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Tokyo560,000 JPY

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Japan is 4% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
506,000 JPY
Public Sector+4%
527,000 JPY
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Software Engineer in Japan?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 460,000 JPY and 519,000 JPY. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Software Engineer in Japan ranges from 278,000 JPY to 385,000 JPY. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn 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


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