Who Earns What

How much does a care worker make in Japan?

Care Workers at Medical/Welfare Facilities
$25,868 (¥3.88M)

a year · about $13 an hour

The average care worker in Japan makes $25,868 (¥3.88M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, below a typical worker in Japan ($33,720) (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

What do they do?

A shift often starts with reading notes and hearing a handover, then helping residents wash, dress, use the toilet, eat, and move safely. Workers plan activities, chat with residents, record changes, and brief the next shift.

Did you know? Japan’s seal-shaped robot PARO was tested in six dementia group homes; frequent resident-led sessions lowered caregivers’ reported burden compared with weekly sessions.

Is that a lot?

Compared with jobs you know
This job$25,868
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$25,868
Big company$26,685
Mid-size$26,473
Small company$24,523
Men$27,891
Women$24,752

How do you become one?

Japan’s facility care workers can start without a required degree or license and learn on the job. Certification requires an approved school or welfare high school, or three years’ experience, practical training, and the national exam.

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can rise with experience and care qualifications, and can differ by facility type, employer size, and region. Full-time versus part-time hours, night-shift allowances, and added responsibility can also change pay.

Jobs like this

Next up

Who earns more?

In the US, a typical nursing assistant makes $42,260 → see more

Data table and sources
Care worker pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$25,868$27,891$24,75245.3
Big company$26,685$28,243$25,73743.5
Mid-size$26,473$28,570$25,32545
Small company$24,523$26,583$23,43946.5

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

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