How much does an accountant make in Japan?
a year · about $28 an hour
The average accountant in Japan makes $54,054 (¥8.11M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about 1.6× a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
What do they do?
CPAs visit a company, compare ledgers and bank records, ask about unclear numbers, then write an audit report. Tax accountants review receipts and accounts, calculate taxes, prepare forms, and explain next steps to clients.
Did you know? In Japan, tax accountants may visit schools to teach special tax lessons—not just help people file taxes.
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, the CPA exam has no age or degree limit; qualification then requires three years of work, training, assessment and registration. Tax accountants pass five exam subjects, gain two years’ related experience and register.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can vary with experience, employer type, location, and work hours; employed CPAs often have steadier pay, while independent accountants’ income depends on their clients and assignments. Qualifications and specialties, such as international tax or consulting, can lead to different work and pay.
Jobs like this
Kids' questions
In the US, a typical accountant makes $83,680 → see more
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $54,054 | $56,741 | $46,065 | 42.2 |
| Big company | $53,340 | $56,994 | $44,661 | 35.5 |
| Mid-size | $55,222 | $56,132 | $51,383 | 39.1 |
| Small company | $53,915 | $56,887 | $45,237 | 46.4 |
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/90
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/92
- www.fsa.go.jp/cpaaob/shinsakai/reports/r07/siryou/02shiken.pdf
- www.nta.go.jp/taxes/zeirishi/zeirishishiken/qa/qa03.htm
- www.tokyozeirishikai.or.jp/aspiring/tax_accountant_exam/
- www.nta.go.jp/taxes/kids/sozei_kyoiku/index.htm
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY