How much does a salesperson make in Japan?
Answer: The average salesperson in Japan makes $44,047 (¥6.61M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,841 × 12 + bonus $9,959. Average age 42.4; about 907,000 people work in this job. Well above the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Salesperson pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $44,047 | $45,932 | $36,841 | 42.4 |
| Big company | $52,184 | $55,758 | $42,112 | 42.4 |
| Mid-size | $40,880 | $42,772 | $32,730 | 41.3 |
| Small company | $36,827 | $37,899 | $31,073 | 43.8 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, sales pay can differ with experience, employer size and type, location, and hours worked. Sales results and specialist knowledge may matter too, and some fields value extra licenses even though sales as a whole has no single required license.
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 salesperson do?
What's a typical day like?
Daily work varies by field: a salesperson may review customer notes, meet clients, hear their needs, and suggest a product or solution. Back at work, they write a proposal or report, share updates with teammates, and plan the next visit.
How to get this job
In Japan, sales jobs often have no required degree or license, though university graduates are common in trading-company sales. New graduates often start after school in their late teens or early twenties, then learn through company training and on-the-job coaching.
Did you know?
Japanese trading-company sales can involve products as different as mineral water and communications satellites.
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
Office, sales and retail jobsEarn more in the same field
Office, sales and retail 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/SaleOccupations
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/58
- shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/Occupation/Detail/454
- www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/list/chinginkouzou_b.html
- www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0003426315
- salary.soniclab.cc/
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY