How much does a metals engineer make in Japan?
a year · about $21 an hour
The average metals engineer in Japan makes $40,462 (¥6.07M) 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 check production data and test metal samples, then walk the plant to inspect equipment and quality. They discuss fixes with operators, adjust processes, and record results for the research or production team.
Did you know? Some Japanese taps use a shape-memory alloy spring that reacts to heat to help regulate water temperature—metal can act like a tiny automatic controller.
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, many study metals or materials at university, but high-school graduates can also enter; no license is required. University graduates often start in their early 20s, learn on the job, and may later take the Professional Engineer (metals) exams.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with experience, education, company size and industry, region, and whether someone works full-time or shorter hours. Research or plant-management specialties, required qualifications, and work schedules can also change the skills and responsibilities involved.
Jobs like this
In the US, a typical materials engineer makes $112,860 → see more
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $40,462 | $41,161 | $30,434 | 43.8 |
| Big company | $45,103 | $45,985 | $33,166 | 43.9 |
| Mid-size | $37,776 | $38,335 | $29,916 | 42.7 |
| Small company | $32,272 | $32,857 | $21,537 | 45.6 |
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/258
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/chingin/kouzou/detail/dl/20210622-detail-13.
- www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0003426315
- www.engineer.or.jp/contents/become_engineer.html
- www.furukawa-ftm.com/tokusyu/product/%E5%BD%A2%E7%8A%B6%E8%A8%98%E憶%E3%81%B0%E3%
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY