How much does a taxi driver make in Japan?
Answer: The average taxi driver in Japan makes $30,055 (¥4.51M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,395 × 12 + bonus $1,319. Average age 56.8; about 170,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Taxi driver pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $30,055 | $30,299 | $26,222 | 56.8 |
| Big company | $33,725 | $33,891 | $28,327 | 52.6 |
| Mid-size | $32,624 | $32,830 | $29,143 | 55.2 |
| Small company | $24,859 | $25,081 | $21,929 | 60.3 |
Why does pay differ?
Japan requires a second-class license to carry paying passengers, but pay is more often shaped by experience, local demand, work shifts, and the employer’s pay plan. Many taxi companies add sales-based pay to base pay, so the number of rides can change earnings; company and independent work also differ.
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 taxi driver do?
What's a typical day like?
Drivers check the car and hear safety notes, then cruise busy streets or wait at taxi stands for riders. They choose routes, help with bags, collect fares and record trips, then clean the cab and report back.
How to get this job
No school level or prior experience is required in Japan. Drivers get a regular license, then a Class 2 license (normally at 21 after three years, or at 19 after special training and one year), plus company training with an experienced driver.
Did you know?
In Japan, a taxi service has sent drivers to shop for customers, wait in hospital lines, and even clean graves—far beyond giving rides.
What about the US?
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 jobsEarn more in the same field
Driving and transport 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/188
- www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/jyuken_tokurei.html
- www.mlit.go.jp/hakusyo/mlit/r02/hakusho/r03/html/n1111c01.html
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY