Who Earns What

How much does a doctor make in Japan?

Physicians
$100,817 (¥15.12M)

a year · about $53 an hour

The average doctor in Japan makes $100,817 (¥15.12M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about 3× a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

What do they do?

A doctor asks patients about symptoms, listens to their heart and lungs, and reviews tests before explaining a treatment plan. They record each visit in a chart; hospital doctors may also round on inpatients or see outpatients with their team.

Did you know? In Japan, some doctors also serve as school doctors, helping look after children’s health at nearby schools.

Is that a lot?

Compared with jobs you know
This job$100,817
Typical worker$33,720
Elementary teacher$49,011
Doctor$100,817
Cashier$25,651

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$100,817
Big company$91,949
Mid-size$113,770
Small company$122,111
Men$106,277
Women$84,969

How do you become one?

After high school, students complete six years of medical school and pass Japan’s national exam to get licensed, usually around age twenty-four. They then complete at least two years of clinical training in a hospital; some continue in a specialty.

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay often rises with experience and senior roles, and differs by employer type, location, and full- or part-time work. A medical license is required, while extra specialist training, night or on-call shifts, and job rank can matter; hospital pay is strongly shaped by career length and position.

Jobs like this

Kids' questions

Next up

Who earns more?
Data table and sources
Doctor pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$100,817$106,277$84,96945.7
Big company$91,949$98,151$75,40142.6
Mid-size$113,770$117,003$102,32850
Small company$122,111$127,523$107,61354.8

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

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