How much does a mechanical engineer make in Japan?
a year · about $23 an hour
The average mechanical engineer in Japan makes $43,936 (¥6.59M) 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 teammates to review a customer's needs, then draw a machine in CAD and test its design with computer simulations. When needed, they inspect a prototype, check safety and cost, and discuss fixes with manufacturing staff.
Did you know? Some Japanese mechanical engineers use AI and IoT to spot problems before machines break, aiming to bring machine downtime close to zero.
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, many study mechanical engineering at a technical college or university and start work as new graduates around age 20–22. No license is required, but the optional Mechanical Design Engineer exam and workplace training can build skills.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with experience, employer size and type, location, and the kind of machine you design. Some companies add a certification allowance; busy projects may mean overtime, and full-time, contract, or part-time work can also affect pay.
Jobs like this
In the US, a typical mechanical engineer makes $104,110 → see more
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $43,936 | $45,120 | $32,959 | 42.3 |
| Big company | $49,701 | $51,350 | $36,385 | 41.7 |
| Mid-size | $40,690 | $41,528 | $30,929 | 41.5 |
| Small company | $35,025 | $35,987 | $25,857 | 45.3 |
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/262
- www.kogyokai.com/exam/faq/
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/chingin/kouzou/z2025/index.html
- www2.aia.pref.aichi.jp/kyosei/j/sodankai/kogishiryo/kogishiryo_e.pdf
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY