Software engineer salaries in Japan, by Japanese level
The 175 tech roles on this site that advertise a salary, out of 284 active, grouped by how much Japanese each one asks for. The median across all of them is ¥9,500,000 a year.
| Japanese required | Median salary | Range | Sponsors visa | Priced roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Japanese required | ¥9,500,000 | ¥4.5M – ¥24.0M | 126 / 155 | 74 |
| Business-level Japanese | ¥9,500,000 | ¥4.5M – ¥20.0M | 34 / 97 | 71 |
Figures are the midpoint of each listing's advertised band — what employers publish, not what anyone is paid. This is one job board and almost entirely software roles, so it describes these listings rather than the Japanese labour market: employers who advertise in English and state a salary are a self-selecting group. Japanese-level groups with fewer than 25 priced listings are withheld rather than charted (Conversational Japanese, 16 priced; Fluent Japanese, 12 priced; Basic Japanese, 2 priced).
Frequently asked questions
- How much do software engineers earn in Japan?
- Across the 175 tech roles on this site that state a salary, the median advertised package is ¥9,500,000 a year. Individual listings range far wider than that midpoint suggests — see the per-level ranges below.
- Do you earn less in Japan without Japanese?
- Not in this dataset — the opposite. Roles requiring no Japanese have a median of ¥9,500,000 across 74 priced listings, against ¥9,500,000 across 71 for roles requiring business-level Japanese. Treat that as a fact about these listings rather than about the Japanese labour market: this is one job board, almost entirely software roles, and employers hiring in English are a particular slice of it.
- Do English-only tech jobs in Japan sponsor visas?
- 126 of the 155 roles requiring no Japanese state that they sponsor a visa — 81%. Sponsorship is stated per listing, so check the individual posting before applying.
- Where do these figures come from?
- The midpoint of the advertised salary band on each of the 175 tech listings that state one, out of 284 active tech roles. Japanese-level groups with fewer than 25 priced listings are withheld (Conversational Japanese: 16; Fluent Japanese: 12; Basic Japanese: 2). These are advertised figures, not verified pay, and not a national statistic.