Developer / Programmer Average Salary in Tokyo 2024
How much money does a person working as Developer / Programmer make in Tokyo?
LOW
278,000
JPY AVERAGE
604,000
JPY HIGH
960,000
JPY
A person working as Developer / Programmer in Tokyo typically earns around 604,000 JPY. Salaries range from 278,000 JPY (lowest) to 960,000 JPY (highest).
Salary Variance
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Developer / Programmer salaries in Tokyo vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Developer / Programmer Pay Scale and Salaries in Tokyo
Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison
573,000 JPY or more
502,000 to 573,000 JPY
346,000 JPY or less
346,000 to 502,000 JPY
 278,000 JPY |
577,000 JPY |
960,000 JPY |
Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range
Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary
Salaries for the position Developer / Programmer in Tokyo range from 278,000 JPY (starting salary) to 960,000 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 577,000 JPY, half of the professionals who work as Developer / Programmer in Tokyo 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 Developer / Programmer in Tokyo earn less than 465,000 JPY, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 665,000 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 Developer / Programmer in Tokyo compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 346,000 JPY to 502,000 JPY. About 20% of salaries are below the 346,000 JPY mark, while 10% fall within the range of 502,000 JPY to 573,000 JPY. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 573,000 JPY.
Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Developer / Programmer / Tokyo
How do experience and age affect pay?
| 0 - 2 Years | 315,000 JPY | |
| 2 - 5 Years | +34% | 421,000 JPY |
| 5 - 10 Years | +48% | 622,000 JPY |
| 10 - 15 Years | +22% | 759,000 JPY |
| 15 - 20 Years | +9% | 827,000 JPY |
| 20+ Years | +8% | 895,000 JPY |
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 Developer / Programmer and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 315,000 JPY.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 421,000 JPY, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 622,000 JPY, 48% 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 759,000 JPY, 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 827,000 JPY, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 895,000 JPY, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers
Salary Comparison By Education / Developer / Programmer / Tokyo
How do education levels affect salaries?
Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Developer / Programmer.
| Certificate or Diploma | 360,000 JPY | |
| Bachelor's Degree | +57% | 564,000 JPY |
| Master's Degree | +68% | 946,000 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 salaries by education level for the position Developer / Programmer in order to make a comparison.
Level 1: Certificate or Diploma
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 360,000 JPY.
Level 2: Bachelor's Degree
At this level, the average salary becomes 564,000 JPY, 57% more than the previous level.
Level 3: Master's Degree
At this level, the average salary becomes 946,000 JPY, 68% 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 and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Developer / Programmer / Tokyo
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 Developer / Programmer in Japan, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 7%.
| Male | 555,000 JPY | |
| Female | -7% | 517,000 JPY |
Salary Comparison By Gender in Japan for all Careers
Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Developer / Programmer / Tokyo
How much are annual salary increments in Tokyo for individuals working as Developer / Programmer? How often do employees get salary raises?
Individuals working as Developer / Programmer in Japan are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately % every months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
Japan / All Professions
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
Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs
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 / Developer / Programmer / Japan
How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?
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100% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while % said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from % to % of their annual salary.
| Received Bonus | % | |
| No Bonus | 100% |
Types of Bonuses Considered
Individual Performance-Based BonusesThe 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.
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 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.
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 / Developer / Programmer / Tokyo
3,480 JPY per hourThe average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Developer / Programmer in Tokyo is 3,480 JPY.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.
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 Developer / Programmer in Tokyo 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 Title | Average Salary |
| Information Technology |  -100% | |
| ABAP Developer | 531,000 JPY | -12% |
| Android Developer | 558,000 JPY | -8% |
| Angular Developer | 516,000 JPY | -15% |
| Angular JS Programmer | 493,000 JPY | -18% |
| Application Developer | 597,000 JPY | -1% |
| AS400 Programmer | 625,000 JPY |  +4% |
| Assembly Developer | 583,000 JPY | -3% |
| Avaloq Developer | 551,000 JPY | -9% |
| Back End Developer | 588,000 JPY | -3% |
| BizTalk Developer | 632,000 JPY | +5% |
| Build and Release Engineer | 547,000 JPY | -9% |
| Business Intelligence Developer | 584,000 JPY | -3% |
| Business Objects Developer | 546,000 JPY | -10% |
| C Developer | 624,000 JPY | +3% |
| C# Developer | 631,000 JPY | +5% |
| C++ Developer | 643,000 JPY | +7% |
| Chatbot Developer | 521,000 JPY | -14% |
| Clojure Developer | 686,000 JPY | +14% |
| CMS Developer | 501,000 JPY | -17% |
| Computer Programmer | 551,000 JPY | -9% |
| Curam Developer | 476,000 JPY | -21% |
| Dart Developer | 412,000 JPY | -32% |
| Delphi Developer | 611,000 JPY | +1% |
| Developer / Programmer | 604,000 JPY | +0% |
| Developer Evangelist | 608,000 JPY | +1% |
| DevOps Engineer | 553,000 JPY | -8% |
| Django Specialist | 576,000 JPY | -5% |
| Driver Developer | 582,000 JPY | -4% |
| Elixir Developer | 762,000 JPY | +26% |
| Embedded Software Developer | 615,000 JPY | +2% |
| Erlang Developer | 700,000 JPY | +16% |
| Flash Developer | 475,000 JPY | -21% |
| Front End Developer | 503,000 JPY | -17% |
| Front End Web Developer | 495,000 JPY | -18% |
| Full Stack Developer | 594,000 JPY | -2% |
| Game Developer | 518,000 JPY | -14% |
| GIS Developer | 534,000 JPY | -12% |
| Go Developer | 709,000 JPY | +17% |
| Graphical User Interface ( GUI ) Programmer | 488,000 JPY | -19% |
| Graphics Programmer | 522,000 JPY | -14% |
| Groovy Developer | 618,000 JPY | +2% |
| Haskell Developer | 611,000 JPY | +1% |
| Imaging Programmer | 494,000 JPY | -18% |
| Information Systems Developer | 542,000 JPY | -10% |
| IOS Developer | 613,000 JPY | +2% |
| Java Developer | 618,000 JPY | +2% |
| Javascript Developer | 556,000 JPY | -8% |
| jQuery Specialist | 574,000 JPY | -5% |
| Kotlin Developer | 667,000 JPY | +10% |
| Laravel Specialist | 519,000 JPY | -14% |
| Lead Developer | 646,000 JPY | +7% |
| Lisp Developer | 702,000 JPY | +16% |
| Lua Developer | 650,000 JPY | +8% |
| MATLAB Developer | 592,000 JPY | -2% |
| Mobile Developer | 585,000 JPY | -3% |
| Multimedia Developer | 506,000 JPY | -16% |
| NextJs Specialist | 574,000 JPY | -5% |
| Nodejs Developer | 615,000 JPY | +2% |
| Objective-C Developer | 680,000 JPY | +13% |
| Oracle Developer | 603,000 JPY | -0% |
| Perl Developer | 497,000 JPY | -18% |
| PHP Developer | 526,000 JPY | -13% |
| PowerShell Developer | 510,000 JPY | -16% |
| Python Developer | 620,000 JPY | +3% |
| R Language Developer | 625,000 JPY | +4% |
| React Specialist | 603,000 JPY | -0% |
| Remedy Developer | 462,000 JPY | -23% |
| Robotic Process Automation Developer | 495,000 JPY | -18% |
| Ruby Developer | 525,000 JPY | -13% |
| Rust Developer | 677,000 JPY | +12% |
| Salesforce Developer | 465,000 JPY | -23% |
| SAS Programmer | 500,000 JPY | -17% |
| Scala Developer | 721,000 JPY | +19% |
| Sharepoint Developer | 583,000 JPY | -3% |
| Software Developer | 592,000 JPY | -2% |
| Software Development Manager | 744,000 JPY | +23% |
| Software QA Engineer | 524,000 JPY | -13% |
| Software Test Engineer | 501,000 JPY | -17% |
| Swift Developer | 650,000 JPY | +8% |
| Teradata Developer | 459,000 JPY | -24% |
| TIBCO Developer | 470,000 JPY | -22% |
| TypeScript Developer | 659,000 JPY | +9% |
| UI Engineer | 556,000 JPY | -8% |
| User Experience Designer | 526,000 JPY | -13% |
| VB Developer | 463,000 JPY | -23% |
| VB.NET Developer | 559,000 JPY | -7% |
| Visual Basic Developer | 429,000 JPY | -29% |
| VueJs Specialist | 567,000 JPY | -6% |
| WordPress Specialist | 594,000 JPY | -2% |
| Zig Developer | 732,000 JPY | +21% |
Salary Comparison By City
| City | Average Salary |
| Tokyo | 604,000 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 |
Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide
What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Developer / Programmer in Tokyo?
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 577,000 JPY and 665,000 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 Developer / Programmer in Tokyo ranges from 278,000 JPY to 465,000 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
