$Who Earns What

How much does a university lecturer make in Japan?

University Lecturers/Assistant Professors (incl. technical colleges)

Answer: The average university lecturer in Japan makes $47,479 (¥7.12M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

Average yearly pay of people doing this job in Japan
$47,479 (¥7.12M)

Monthly pay $3,259 × 12 + bonus $8,367. Average age 41.6; about 59,000 people work in this job. Well above the Japan-wide average ($33,720).

University lecturer pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)

University lecturer pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$47,479$49,765$42,94341.6
Big company$49,636$51,526$44,85441.2
Mid-size$41,705$43,214$40,05842.7
Small company$36,705$37,447$36,05946.5

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can differ with rank, experience, academic record and each university’s salary rules. Full-time or part-time status, hours, employer size and region matter too; specialist expertise can affect the job and hiring terms.

What if you were…

In Japan, age and company size matter most

Pick a company size, sex or age to see that group's average here.

How it changes with age

Tap an age to update the number above (Any company size, men and women combined)

How it changes with company size

Any size$47,479
Big company$49,636
Mid-size$41,705
Small company$36,705
Men$49,765
Women$42,943

What does a university lecturer do?

What's a typical day like?

A lecturer may teach a class or seminar, meet students to guide their projects, then read papers or run experiments for their own research. They also prepare lessons, grade work, write papers, and join department or admissions meetings.

How to get this job

In Japan, the usual route is to study a subject at university, earn a master's and often a doctorate in graduate school, then build research and teaching experience and apply for an open faculty job. KOSEN posts often ask for a doctorate, though some accept a master's; hiring is usually by application and interview.

Did you know?

In Japan, university teachers spent only 32.9% of their work time on research in 2018; campus administration alone took 18%.

Similar jobs

Education jobs

Earn more in the same field

Education jobs that pay a bit more

Sources and data

Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (regular workers, by occupation) (e-Stat). Yearly pay = monthly contractual cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus. Averages for regular workers at firms with 10+ employees. Public employees (teachers, police, firefighters) and company executives are not in this survey. e-stat.go.jp

Pages used for the text

Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY