Software engineer salaries in Japan, by Japanese level
The 206 tech roles on this site that advertise a salary, out of 319 active, grouped by how much Japanese each one asks for. The median across all of them is ¥10,000,000 a year.
| Japanese required | Median salary | Range | Sponsors visa | Priced roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Japanese required | ¥10,500,000 | ¥4.5M – ¥35.0M | 116 / 167 | 90 |
| Business-level Japanese | ¥9,500,000 | ¥4.0M – ¥20.0M | 42 / 118 | 85 |
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, 20 priced; Fluent Japanese, 9 priced; Basic Japanese, 2 priced).
Frequently asked questions
- How much do software engineers earn in Japan?
- Across the 206 tech roles on this site that state a salary, the median advertised package is ¥10,000,000 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 ¥10,500,000 across 90 priced listings, against ¥9,500,000 across 85 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?
- 116 of the 167 roles requiring no Japanese state that they sponsor a visa — 69%. 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 206 tech listings that state one, out of 319 active tech roles. Japanese-level groups with fewer than 25 priced listings are withheld (Conversational Japanese: 20; Fluent Japanese: 9; Basic Japanese: 2). These are advertised figures, not verified pay, and not a national statistic.