How much does a midwife make in Japan?
Answer: The average midwife in Japan makes $37,780 (¥5.67M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,599 × 12 + bonus $6,588. Average age 41.2; about 20,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Midwife pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $37,780 | — | $37,780 | 41.2 |
| Big company | $37,601 | — | $37,601 | 36.4 |
| Mid-size | $38,501 | — | $38,501 | 44.3 |
| Small company | $37,683 | — | $37,683 | 46.5 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay varies with experience, region, and employer type and size. Night shifts or part-time hours can change pay, and some workplaces use advanced midwife skills or certification when reviewing pay.
What 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
What does a midwife do?
What's a typical day like?
A midwife checks a pregnant patient's health and explains test results, then readies a delivery room and watches mother and baby during labor. After birth, they check the newborn, help with feeding, and teach the family baby care.
How to get this job
In Japan, students usually study nursing after high school, then complete an approved midwifery course; some universities combine both in a four-year route. After clinical practice, they pass both national exams and receive licenses, often starting work in their early twenties.
Did you know?
In Japan, only about one in ten babies arrives on the exact due date, so midwives must be ready for births at all hours.
What about the US?
Nearly the same jobJapan's figure is the average and the US figure is the median. Prices and exchange rates matter too, so it's a rough comparison.
Similar jobs
Healthcare and welfare jobsEarn more in the same field
Healthcare and welfare jobs that pay a bit moreSources 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
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/157
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_sankou_a.html
- www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12401000/001282559.pdf
- www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3993
- laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326M50000180001
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY