Who Earns What

How much does a rehab therapist make in Japan?

Physical/Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Orthoptists
$29,573 (¥4.44M)

a year · about $15 an hour

The average rehab therapist in Japan makes $29,573 (¥4.44M) 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?

At a Japanese hospital, they check notes, then help patients practice walking and daily tasks, speech or swallowing—or do eye tests and vision exercises, depending on specialty. They share progress with the care team and record each session.

Did you know? In Japan, orthoptists do more than test sight: they can train children with lazy eye or crossed eyes to help their vision develop.

Is that a lot?

Compared with jobs you know
This job$29,573
Typical worker$33,720
Elementary teacher$49,011
Doctor$100,817
Cashier$25,651

What if you were…

In Japan, age and company size matter most

Pick 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

Any size$29,573
Big company$30,731
Mid-size$29,081
Small company$29,489
Men$31,121
Women$27,820

How do you become one?

In Japan, the usual route is high school, then several years at a university or approved training school with clinical placements. After passing the national exam and getting licensed, graduates often start in their early twenties, moving from supervised school practice into a job.

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can differ with experience, employer type and size, location, and full- or part-time hours. All four jobs require a national license; specialist skills or senior duties may also matter, while the government survey groups their pay data together.

Jobs like this

Kids' questions

Next up

Who earns more?
Data table and sources
Rehab therapist pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$29,573$31,121$27,82036.2
Big company$30,731$32,909$28,37334.5
Mid-size$29,081$30,363$27,67536.5
Small company$29,489$30,952$27,28137.7

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

Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY