How much does a power plant worker make in Japan?
a year · about $25 an hour
The average power plant worker in Japan makes $47,150 (¥7.07M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about the same as a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
What do they do?
In the control room, operators watch instruments and adjust power output to match demand. They patrol the equipment, check for problems, and report anything unusual to the shift leader.
Did you know? In Japan, nuclear operators practise emergencies in simulators that recreate equipment failures and other trouble, then return for regular refresher training.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowWhat if you were…
In Japan, age and company size matter mostPick 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
How do you become one?
In Japan, many start after technical high school or college, often studying electricity or machinery; a license is not usually needed to enter. Employers provide on-the-job and simulator training, and workers can earn relevant qualifications.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with the employer, location, experience, specialist duties, or licenses; official wage tables also compare workers by company size and experience. Many plants run day and night, so shift patterns can affect pay too.
Jobs like this
In the US, a typical power grid dispatcher makes $106,730 → see more
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $47,150 | $47,508 | $36,895 | 42.3 |
| Big company | $51,469 | $52,027 | $37,983 | 42.1 |
| Mid-size | $39,928 | $40,116 | $33,336 | 41.5 |
| Small company | $34,775 | $34,815 | $24,623 | 45.5 |
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
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/302
- www.japc.co.jp/recruit/benefit/
- www.fepc.or.jp/supply/hatsuden/nuclear/safety/kensa/kyouiku/
- www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0003447838
- www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?layout=dataset&page=1&query=%E4%BB%A4%E5%92%8
- www.check-roudou.mhlw.go.jp/study/roudousya_jikangai.html
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY