How much does a ironworker make in Japan?
Answer: The average ironworker in Japan makes $33,776 (¥5.07M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).
Monthly pay $2,340 × 12 + bonus $5,696. Average age 43.5; about 58,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).
Ironworker pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)
| Company size | Everyone | Men | Women | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any size | $33,776 | $34,213 | $22,803 | 43.5 |
| Big company | $41,941 | $42,304 | $23,803 | 39.7 |
| Mid-size | $37,329 | $37,469 | $25,264 | 43.7 |
| Small company | $31,196 | $31,672 | $22,535 | 44 |
Why does pay differ?
In Japan, experience and welding, crane, or rigging qualifications can open the way to more skilled work. Pay also differs with employer size and type, region, specialty, full- or part-time hours, and overtime.
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 ironworker do?
What's a typical day like?
They read drawings, mark and cut steel, then drill or bend pieces into shape. Using cranes and welding gear, they join the parts and inspect the finished frame or tank.
How to get this job
Most people in Japan enter after high school or a technical college, usually around age 18; no special qualification is required to start. They learn on the job and may later earn welding credentials and take the national Ironworker skill test.
Did you know?
A Japanese boilermaker described a tank so huge it could hold 5,000 train cars weighing 40 tonnes each!
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
Manufacturing and construction jobsEarn more in the same field
Manufacturing and construction 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/29
- www.mhlw.go.jp/houdou_kouhou/kouhou_shuppan/magazine/2016/05_03.html
- www.e-stat.go.jp/statistics/00450091
- www.javada.or.jp/jigyou/gino/naiyou_index.html
- gpseducation.oecd.org/Content/EAGCountryNotes/EAG2023_CN_JPN_pdf.pdf
Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY