How much does a professional worker make in Japan?
a year · about $20 an hour
The average professional worker in Japan makes $38,887 (¥5.83M) 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?
There is no single typical day for this broad group. For example, a Japanese detective may spend hours following or watching someone, then sort photos and write a report.
Did you know? In Japan, a detective business must file a notice for each office—even branches owned by the same company need separate filings.
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?
First pick a specialty: some Japanese jobs here require exams and practical training, while others do not. MHLW says detectives usually need high-school-level education, no special qualification, and learn on the job; mid-career hiring is common.
Why does pay differ?
Japan's category is a catch-all, including interpreters, detectives and appraisers, so pay has no single pattern. Experience, licenses, specialty, employer type and size, region, work hours or shifts can all matter; reputation may help in some client-based fields.
Jobs like this
Data table and sources
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $38,887 | $43,285 | $31,231 | 41.7 |
| Big company | $40,904 | $48,447 | $31,726 | 44 |
| Mid-size | $41,043 | $45,681 | $31,959 | 40 |
| Small company | $33,463 | $35,399 | $29,313 | 41.8 |
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
- www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10700000/000513179.pdf
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/chingin/kouzou/z2025/index.html
- www.e-stat.go.jp/classifications/terms/20/02/249
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/562
- www.npa.go.jp/bureau/safetylife/tanteigyou/index.html
- www.mlit.go.jp/totikensangyo/kanteishi/content/001859833.pdf?yclid=YSS.100038352
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY