How much does a lawyer or legal worker make in Japan?
a year · about $34 an hour
The average lawyer or legal worker in Japan makes $65,407 (¥9.81M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about 1.9× a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
What do they do?
At a company, they check contracts for risky wording, answer coworkers’ legal questions, and track new laws. A lawyer may instead meet clients, research a case, write legal papers, and speak in court.
Did you know? In Japan, Houterasu places staff lawyers in areas with very few lawyers, where they handle civil legal aid and criminal defense.
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, company legal staff often start after university, usually in law, but need no special license and learn on the job. To become a lawyer, complete law school or pass the preliminary exam, pass the bar exam, finish about a year of judicial training, then register.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with experience, job level, and whether someone has a lawyer’s license. The size and type of workplace, location, specialty, work hours, and employment arrangement can matter too.
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Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $65,407 | $67,295 | $59,958 | 46.5 |
| Big company | $50,870 | $39,172 | $71,323 | 42 |
| Mid-size | $49,822 | $52,854 | $45,225 | 45.8 |
| Small company | $69,383 | $71,747 | $61,245 | 47.2 |
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/446
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_b.html
- www.nichibenren.or.jp/legal_info/top/howto.html
- www.houterasu.or.jp/site/about-houterasu/shihokasotaisaku.html
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/89
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY