How much does a lab technician make in Japan?
Answer: The average lab technician in Japan makes $32,133 (¥4.82M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,203 × 12 + bonus $5,701. Average age 40.2; about 91,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Lab technician pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $32,133 | $36,072 | $30,427 | 40.2 |
| Big company | $34,725 | $37,821 | $32,647 | 38.9 |
| Mid-size | $29,955 | $33,475 | $28,845 | 41.2 |
| Small company | $30,104 | $33,163 | $29,535 | 41.1 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, a national license is required, but pay can still vary with experience, employer type and size, and location. Night or on-call shifts may bring extra allowances, while specialist skills such as ultrasound can make a worker more sought after.
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 lab technician do?
What's a typical day like?
They collect blood or urine samples, run lab tests, and may record a patient’s heartbeat with an ECG. They check results for doctors, clean and check machines, and prepare supplies for the next shift.
How to get this job
In Japan, complete an approved three-year college or vocational program, or a four-year university program, then pass the national exam and get licensed. Many begin in hospitals or testing centers in their early twenties and keep learning on the job.
Did you know?
After a special course, Japanese clinical lab technologists can collect nasal and throat swabs—not just test samples.
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
Healthcare and welfare jobsEarn more in the same field
Healthcare and welfare jobs that pay a bit moreSources 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/161
- www.mhlw.go.jp/kouseiroudoushou/shikaku_shiken/rinshoukensagishi/
- www.jamt.or.jp/target/general/introduction/
- mtjob.jp/about_mt/job/hospital
- mtjob.jp/about_mt/mtmoney
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY