Who Earns What

How much does a building engineer make in Japan?

Architectural Engineers
$45,270 (¥6.79M)

a year · about $24 an hour

The average building engineer in Japan makes $45,270 (¥6.79M) a year, monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, about the same as a typical worker in Japan (average, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

What do they do?

They meet clients to learn what a building must do, then use CAD to draw plans and check the structure, materials, and building rules. During construction, they visit the site to make sure the work matches the drawings.

Did you know? Tokyo Skytree uses a central stair column as a giant sway-reducing weight, inspired by five-story pagodas—a world-first use of a stair core this way.

Is that a lot?

Compared with jobs you know
This job$45,270
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$45,270
Big company$57,365
Mid-size$43,958
Small company$39,031
Men$46,963
Women$35,075

How do you become one?

In Japan, many study architecture at a technical college or university, then join a design office or construction firm. To become a licensed architect, complete required courses, pass the written and design exams, gain any required work experience, and register.

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can vary with experience, relevant licenses, and specialist skills, as well as the size and type of employer. Official wage tables compare workers by experience, employer size, and location; busy deadlines can also bring overtime or weekend work, changing total pay.

Jobs like this

Kids' questions

Next up

Who earns more?

In the US, a typical architect makes $99,280 → see more

Data table and sources
Building engineer pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$45,270$46,963$35,07543.4
Big company$57,365$60,061$43,22542
Mid-size$43,958$45,621$34,66140.4
Small company$39,031$40,439$29,26546.6

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