$Who Earns What

How much does a postal clerk make in Japan?

Transport/Postal Clerks

Answer: The average postal clerk in Japan makes $38,647 (¥5.8M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

Average yearly pay of people doing this job in Japan
$38,647 (¥5.8M)

Monthly pay $2,551 × 12 + bonus $8,039. Average age 48.6; about 232,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).

Postal clerk pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)

Postal clerk pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$38,647$41,264$27,80948.6
Big company$42,432$45,942$28,98848.5
Mid-size$33,749$35,295$27,13847
Small company$30,895$32,351$22,73351.1

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay depends on the employer’s pay rules and whether the job is regular, part-time, or contract; experience and the assigned region can also matter. Shifts and busy-season overtime affect earnings, while postal-counter work needs no special license.

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$38,647
Big company$42,432
Mid-size$33,749
Small company$30,895
Men$41,264
Women$27,809

What does a postal clerk do?

What's a typical day like?

They check counter machines and stamp stock, accept letters and parcels, and advise customers on postage and delivery dates. After closing, they balance the day’s sales and complete the records.

How to get this job

In Japan, people apply after school through Japan Post’s new-graduate hiring or local part-time or contract openings; no special license is needed. Selection includes an aptitude test and interview, followed by training and on-the-job practice.

Did you know?

Japan’s mail-sorting machines can stamp letters, sort them by destination, and even line them up in delivery order—steps once done by hand.

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Sources 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

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