How much does a machine inspector make in Japan?
a year · about $18 an hour
The average machine inspector in Japan makes $34,852 (¥5.23M) 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 take parts from the production line, look and feel for damage, and measure them with calipers or gauges. They record results, test whether machines work as designed, and pass checked items to the next step.
Did you know? In Japan, a skills test can ask you to measure a screw using three thin wires—and check a micrometer for tiny errors.
Is that a lot?
Compared with jobs you knowWhat if you were…
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How it changes with age
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How it changes with company size
How do you become one?
In Japan, no specific school qualification is usually required, though a technical high school course in machinery helps. Many learn on the job or move from production into inspection; passing the national skills test earns the title of skilled worker in machinery inspection.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ as experience leads to harder checks or team-leader work; a machinery inspection certificate can help with hiring. Employer size and industry, location, specialty, shift work, and overtime also affect what people earn.
Jobs like this
In the US, a typical quality inspector makes $48,570 → see more
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $34,852 | $37,924 | $25,205 | 43.7 |
| Big company | $40,675 | $41,591 | $34,967 | 43.6 |
| Mid-size | $33,422 | $36,916 | $23,890 | 43 |
| Small company | $26,188 | $29,974 | $20,300 | 46.6 |
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
Pages used for the text
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/526
- waza.mhlw.go.jp/shokushu/list/kikaikensa.html
- www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11800000/001167903.pdf
- waza.mhlw.go.jp/shidousya/pdf/kikaikensa.pdf
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_sankou_a.html
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY