How much does a pilot make in Japan?
Answer: The average pilot in Japan makes $108,783 (¥16.32M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $8,174 × 12 + bonus $10,695. Average age 39.7; about 8,000 people work in this job. Well above the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Pilot pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $108,783 | $110,313 | $53,297 | 39.7 |
| Big company | $111,973 | $113,737 | $54,648 | 39.4 |
| Mid-size | $100,331 | $101,016 | $23,802 | 39.1 |
| Small company | $54,925 | $54,916 | $55,507 | 50.3 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, pay can differ with experience, captain or copilot rank, aircraft qualifications, airline size or type, location, and route. Flight-hour allowances and different duty schedules also matter.
What 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
What does a pilot do?
What's a typical day like?
Before takeoff, pilots review the weather and route, check the aircraft, and brief the cabin crew. In the cockpit they fly, watch instruments, and talk with air traffic control, then report conditions after landing.
How to get this job
In Japan, aspiring pilots may study at university or a flight school, or join an airline's self-training program. They pass national license exams and train on aircraft; many begin flying as copilots in their late twenties and build experience toward captain.
Did you know?
At ANA, one pilot examiner says a single flight can involve about 4,000 actions.
What about the US?
Nearly the same jobJapan's figure is the average and the US figure is the median. Prices and exchange rates matter too, so it's a rough comparison.
Similar jobs
Driving and transport jobsSources and data
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/189
- www.ana.co.jp/group/recruit/ana-recruit/occupation/pilot
- www.mlit.go.jp/koku/15_bf_000299.html
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_b.html
- tsubasa.ana.co.jp/ana-report/ryugi/ryugi_202305-01
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY