How much does a metal press worker make in Japan?
a year · about $16 an hour
The average metal press worker in Japan makes $30,537 (¥4.58M) 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 fit a die into a press, load sheet metal, make a test piece, and measure it to check the size. Once it is right, they run or watch the press as it punches, bends, or draws parts, then inspect the pieces.
Did you know? Some fine-blanking presses use three actions for precise cutting and can make complex parts for products ranging from cars to IT devices.
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?
Many people in Japan enter after high school, around age 18; no specific qualification is needed to start. They learn on the job, then may take the written and practical metal-press skills test; special safety training is needed to install or adjust dies.
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with experience and skill: setting dies, checking precision, or monitoring automated presses takes different know-how, and a metal-press certificate can show those skills. Pay also depends on employer size and industry, location, full- or part-time hours, and overtime or night shifts.
Jobs like this
In the US, a typical metal press operator makes $46,330 → see more
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $30,537 | $31,686 | $22,243 | 42.7 |
| Big company | $45,647 | $46,243 | $26,790 | 42.8 |
| Mid-size | $30,039 | $30,964 | $24,063 | 41.8 |
| Small company | $26,667 | $27,602 | $20,911 | 43.1 |
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/254
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_b.html
- www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0003445758
- j-fma.or.jp/legal_commentary/skill-examination
- www.jisha.or.jp/info/field/shikaku/list04.html
- j-fma.or.jp/en/the-forming-machinery/press-machine
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY