Are Software Jobs Well-Paying in Japan

If you're interested in pursuing a software developer job in Japan and wondering about the salary prospects, this article will provide you with valuable information. We'll explore various aspects of IT jobs in software development in Japan, including front-end, back-end, and full-stack positions. While being bilingual in Japanese is advantageous, it's worth noting that there is also a significant demand for English-speaking talent in the country.

The IT industry in Japan offers some of the highest entry-level salaries for both foreigners and Japanese nationals. If you possess the necessary skills and have a desire to work in Japan, the IT sector is an ideal choice for foreign job seekers in the country.

With its population rapidly aging, Japan needs to expand its skilled IT workforce. Job recruiters are actively connecting companies with foreign talents and individuals interested in the experience of living and working in an IT job in Japan.

Foreigners who have pursued a software development career in Japan have found it to be a fulfilling experience. The Japanese are known for their warm hospitality, and the country houses many fast-moving startups and foreign companies that are less bound by traditional hierarchies. This can be an attractive aspect for non-Japanese employees. Additionally, technology salary trends in Japan are steadily rising, making software engineers' salaries in Japan highly competitive.

In case you are interested in exploring Japan for your next career move, and are wondering about the ways to do it, Dev.to has a detailed article about the subject. You may please read it if you want to learn more about how to get an information technology job in Japan. We will also explore a significant point of debate surrounding technology jobs in Japan: salary expectations when employed by a Japanese tech company.

Average IT salaries in Japan

Here are the general averages for salaries in the Japanese technology industry.

Conducting a simple online search for software developer salaries in Japan will yield an extensive amount of information, leading to potential overwhelm due to the wide range of figures available.

According to Glassdoor, the average annual IT salary in Tokyo is reported to be around 72.1 million JPY in 2023. On Quora, the top response for IT/communications jobs indicates an average salary of 4.7 million JPY, with men earning around 5 million JPY and women around 3.9 million JPY. Additionally, a 2021 report from a major Japanese job portal state that the average annual salary for IT engineers in Japan is approximately 4.53 million JPY.

It is crucial to acknowledge that significant variation exists across different subsets of the IT industry in Japan. Factors such as the specific role, such as UI/UX engineers in e-commerce, DevOps in fintech, or cybersecurity solutions experts, can greatly influence salary ranges.

Additionally, experience levels within the industry also have a significant impact. For instance, a 22-year-old fresh graduate in an entry-level programming job would typically receive a lower average annual salary compared to an IT Director or Project Manager. It is essential to recognize that these figures represent averages and should be interpreted as such.

It's important to remember that averages are just representative figures.

When examining IT wages in Japan, you may encounter a significant challenge as the available data predominantly pertains to Japanese employees. Foreign workers make up merely 1.43% of Japan's population, which amounts to approximately 1.8 million individuals out of a total of 125.3 million in 2022. As a result, the average salary information for the IT sector in Japan may not directly reflect the circumstances for foreign professionals.

It is important to be aware of this disparity in order to obtain a more accurate understanding of the salary landscape in Japan.

The latest census numbers from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare show that there are about 50,000 foreigners working in IT in Japan out of a total of 1.04 million workers in the industry. As foreign IT talent is still a minority at 4.9%, the average salaries in IT in Japan may not be directly relevant to foreign professionals. As a foreign IT engineer in Japan, you are part of a special niche, which is a great advantage!

Achieving Success in the Japanese Workforce as an International Professional

Unlike many other countries, succeeding in Japan needs a fair understanding of not only the Japanese culture in general but also the Japanese Work Culture.

Being a foreign IT professional in Japan gives you an advantage as you have likely taken a different education or career path compared to most Japanese IT professionals. This could have an influence on the salary you can expect.

When companies hire software developers from abroad to fill vacancies, they often face a higher level of commitment and risk. This is because foreign talents may be unfamiliar with the language and lack a deep understanding of Japanese culture and social norms.

As a result, companies are willing to offer competitive salaries to attract and retain the right talent. They recognize the importance of compensating foreign professionals appropriately to ensure their success and integration within the company.

The Distinctive Nature of IT Jobs in Japan

It is crucial to grasp the fact that IT jobs in Japan can deviate from the organizational structures typically encountered in Western countries. The distribution of IT roles differs between foreigners and Japanese employees. While systems engineers (SE) and systems integrator (SI) are present in Japan, the presence of in-house software engineers is relatively limited.

Meiji University reports that in Japan, only 23% of systems engineers (SEs) are graduates of information-related departments, which is comparatively lower than in many other countries. For instance, in India, 72% of SEs graduate from IT-related departments, while in the U.S., the figure stands at 44%.

According to Senior Assistant Professor Tomokazu Hayakawa from Meiji University School of Science and Technology, this discrepancy can be attributed to the prioritization of hardware development over software in Japan. There is also a belief that SE knowledge can be acquired through on-the-job training.

Established multinational companies in Japan actively seek foreign professionals with strong IT credentials for software developer positions. You can find more details for such opportunities on EJable.com. While smaller domestic startups may also hire foreigners, the salaries offered by these companies are typically slightly lower.

As a rough estimate, top software companies in Japan provide foreign developers with an additional 1 million JPY compared to their Japanese counterparts. The scarcity of qualified foreign IT professionals makes them highly sought after. Consequently, if you secure a position as a software developer in Japan, your salary may exceed the national average.

Here are several recommended websites where you can explore relevant salary ranges:

Sources for Salary Information in the Japanese IT Job Market

1. Opensalary

If you're interested in exploring technology job salaries in Japan, Opensalary.jp is a great resource. The platform collects salary data contributed anonymously by real-world tech professionals. You can compare over 1,200 salaries and gain insights into the earnings of software engineers at major companies like Google Japan, Amazon Web Services, Rakuten, LINE, and more. The salary information is further categorized based on years of experience and specific areas of expertise, offering a comprehensive understanding of IT salaries in Japan.

Some of the examples of annual salary breakdowns you can find on this website:

• Median Compensation (Total): 8M JPY
• Google Japan: 23M JPY
• Amazon Web Services Japan: 12.5M JPY
• Rakuten: 7.7M JPY
• LINE Corporation: 8.8M JPY

2. Levels.fyi

Levels.fyi provides valuable information on global tech salaries, including insights specifically on tech jobs in Japan. By conducting a search for "Japan" on the platform, you can access the average annual salary for a software engineer job in Japan, which is reported to be 8.6 million JPY.

Additionally, Indeed is recognized as the highest-paying company for software engineers in Japan, with an average salary of 19.9 million JPY. These salary figures are reported by IT professionals currently working in Japan.

• Rakuten WebDev (front end), 10 years experience: 8.5M JPY
• PayPay API Dev (back end), 10 years experience: 10.8M JPY
• Line WebDev (front end), 2-4 years experience: 8.2M JPY
• MoneyForward API Dev (back end), 2 years experience: 4.5M JPY
• Mercari API Dev (back end), 6 years experience: 5.5M JPY
• Microsoft Senior SDE/AR/VR, 7 years experience: 16M JPY
• Google API Dev (back end), 7 years experience: 20M JPY

3. Cogs

Cogs is a platform that presents salary information for IT jobs in Japan, offering valuable insights into benchmark salaries specifically for bilingual English/Japanese candidates. It highlights that multinational tech companies in Japan typically provide higher salaries for software engineers or UX designers compared to domestic-focused Japanese businesses that may be in the early stages of establishing their digital presence. The platform includes a breakdown of average annual salary ranges for various roles within different sectors.

• Digital Analytics – Data Analyst: 4M - 6M JPY
• Product Management & BA – Senior Product Manager: 10M - 16M JPY
• Marketing & E-Commerce – Digital Marketing Manager: 6M - 12M JPY
• Product & Program Management – Senior PM: 8M - 10M JPY
• SAAS Sales & Customer Services (Sales Manager: 8M - 15M JPY
• Strategy – Planning Director: 15M - 18M JPY

4. Blind

blind.com offers access to a comprehensive database of salary information for Japanese tech companies, specifically major international ones. The website requires sign-up and provides an up-to-date forum where you can discuss job offers from Japanese tech companies and seek advice.

Here are some data you’ll find on blind.com.

• Niantic: 30M JPY
• DoorDash: 20M JPY
• Mercari: 21M JPY

You can easily create an account to explore blind.com!

5. Payscale

Payscale.com offers comprehensive information regarding average annual IT salaries in Japan, taking into account factors such as role, experience level, and popular skills. The platform also provides insights into potential career paths within the IT industry, including corresponding salary ranges as you advance in your career.

Here are some of the salary listings you’ll find on payscale.com:

• Project Manager: 3M - 10M JPY
• Project Engineer: 2M - 9M JPY
• Management Consultant: 4M - 10M JPY
• Product Manager, Software: 654K - 11M JPY

6. Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)

Wellfound.com is a job board with IT job vacancies and salary ranges in Japan. It offers a selection of positions along with salary information from various companies.

• EIRE Systems KK: (IT Support Engineer): 3M - 5M JPY
• PayPay (DBA): 7M - 12M JPY
• Kasugai, Inc. (Data Engineer): 3.6M - 5.4M JPY

7. Forkwell

Forkwell is a Japanese-language site with a wide range of salary data and over 2,000 job openings for IT personnel. It provides comprehensive information on IT salaries in Japan if you read the language.

• Timee (Backend Tech Lead): 9M - 14M JPY
• Persol (SRE): 9M - 12M JPY
• Ubiregi (iOS Engineer): 9M - 15M JPY
• Mirrativ (Engineering Manager): 9M - 15M JPY
• Progate (Front-end Engineer): 7M - 10M JPY
• Study Plus (Senior Application Engineer): 7M - 9M JPY

8.OpenMoney

OpenMoney is a valuable source available in Japanese, providing a macro view of salaries in Japan. While it may not focus extensively on software developers, it offers median annual salaries for jobs with major multinationals in Japan.

• Amazon: 12M JPY
• Rakuten: 7.7M JPY
• CyberAgent: 7.8M JPY
• LINE: 8.3M JPY
• Softbank: 7M JPY

9. Project COMP

Project COMP and Openmoney.jp provide valuable side-by-side salary comparisons, allowing you to observe that prominent Japanese companies such as Rakuten have an average salary of around 7.4 million JPY.

While other variables should be considered, conducting thorough research will help you identify emerging trends and position yourself to negotiate an appropriate salary based on your qualifications and experience.

Websites like Project COMP are particularly recommended as they take into account years of experience in their data analysis.

• Mercari: 11.4M JPY
• DeNA: 7.9M JPY
• LINE: 8.4M JPY
• Rakuten: 7.4M JPY
• Google Japan: 21M JPY

10. OpenWork

OpenWork is a Japanese-language site similar to Glassdoor, offering a comprehensive database of salary information, company reviews, and more. It provides averages for annual salaries at top IT companies to work for in Japan:

• Google: 17M JPY
• Microsoft: 14M JPY
• Amazon (AWS): 13M JPY
• Mercari: 11M JPY
• LINE: 8.9M JPY
• Voyage Group: 10M JPY
• VMWare: 10M JPY
• Goldman Sachs: 15M JPY

11. Findy

Findy allows you to upload your Github profile to discover your expected salary range. It offers unique options to match jobs based on your score and provides insights into Nikkei (Japanese companies) and gaishi-kei (foreign-based companies) in the Japanese tech industry.

You can use your Github account to sign up at Findy.

• Ubie: 6M - 12M JPY
• Medpeer: 5M - 12M JPY
• GA technologies: 5M - 9M JPY
• MUGENUP: 6M - 10M JPY
• Medley: 6M - 15M JPY
• SmartHR: 5M - 10M JPY
• Repro: 5.4M - 12M JPY
• Open8: 7M - 12M JPY
• SmartDrive: 6M - 10M JPY
• Kokopelli: 7M - 12M JPY

12. JobDraft

JobDraft is a platform where you can create an account, upload your profile, and showcase your abilities to potential employers. It facilitates competitive bidding based on your skills and experience.

• Merpay: 5.5M - 11.3M JPY
• LINE: 6.5M - 13M JPY
• Recruit Lifestyle: 6M - 10M JPY
• Speee: 5M - 15M JPY
• DMM.com: 6M - 12M JPY
• LayerX: 6M - 10M JPY
• Works Applications: 6M - 9M JPY
• FreakOut: 5M - 10M JPY

13. Green Japan

Green Japan provides salary data ranging from startups and venture companies to public-listed and foreign-affiliated companies. It allows you to search for jobs based on various parameters and offers insights into different skill levels and age groups.

• Uzabase Internal (System Engineer): 6M - 12M JPY
• Style Free (Front End Engineer): 4M - 12M JPY
• Spice Factory (Rails Engineer): 6M - 8M JPY
• Trustdock (Server-side Engineer): 6M - 9M JPY

14. StudentSalary

StudentSalary is a resource for students seeking paid internships in Japan. It provides an overview of minimum, maximum, and average hourly internship rates based on experience at top IT companies in Japan.

Below are some samples of the data points available at StudentSalary:

• Apple: 10000 JPY/hr
• DeNa: 3750 JPY/hr
• Google: 3000 JPY/hr
• LINE: 2000 - 2667 JPY/hr
• Autoscale: 1300 JPY/hr
• CyberAgent: 1250 - 1500 JPY/hr

15. Jobtalk

Jobtalk is a Japanese-language website specifically designed for exploring salary ranges within the IT industry.

The platform encourages current and former employees to share reviews, insights about companies, average annual salaries, annual income details, interview strategies, and other relevant information.

You need to register for an account to see all the data, but even without signing up, you can still see salaries for some companies, for example, SmartNews: 9M JPY

16. Coding Bootcamps

Another pathway to pursue an IT career in Japan is through coding bootcamps, primarily situated in Tokyo. Coding/tech schools like TokyoStack provide bootcamp programs covering full-stack web development, data science, and custom projects. These programs offer intriguing options such as income share agreements and tuition installment plans.

The TokyoStack team highlights that the IT industry in Japan is renowned for offering competitive salaries. Even at entry-level, both foreigners and Japanese professionals can expect an average annual salary of around 4.4 million JPY.

17. Company Website Career Pages

Historically, Japanese IT companies have been reluctant to reveal salary information on their career pages. However, in recent years, there has been a shift towards greater transparency, and some companies now include salary details. This change allows you to gain insight into the potential earning opportunities within the IT industry in Japan and what different companies can offer in terms of compensation.

These are some of the IT roles that are available on Japanese company websites:

• Fast Retailing: Data Scientist
• Wovn Technologies: Backend Engineer
• Japan Computer Vision: Senior Quality Engineer
• dely: Backend Engineer
• Fast Retailing: Data Scientist

18. Forums & Blog Posts

Blogs and forums offer valuable insights, including dedicated English-language blogs that focus on average salaries in Japan.
Reddit is also an excellent resource for obtaining firsthand accounts of working for specific companies in Japan. In this thread, for example, you can find discussions about working at Rakuten, a prominent Japanese company that many foreigners consider a stepping stone into the Japanese job market.

In a similar vein, Quora forums provide unedited information that offers an authentic perspective on working for different companies in Japan. This thread on Quora discusses the experience of working at Amazon in Japan.

19. Glassdoor

Glassdoor offers a macro view of salaries in IT jobs in Japan. While some information may need updating, it provides user-populated salary ranges and company reviews.

• Morgan Mckinley 2023 Japan Salary Guide
• Michael Page Salary Guide 2023
• Robert Walters Japan Salary Survey 2023

20. Tech recruiting firms

Tech recruiting firms in Japan, which specialize in connecting job seekers with employers, can be valuable resources for obtaining salary details from an insider's perspective. Here is a compilation of reputable tech recruiting firms in Tokyo that you may consider consulting for assistance:

• ReachExt K.K.
• RGF
• Robert Walters
• Hays
• Robert Half
• Morgan Mckinley
• Michael Page
• Randstad
• Computer Futures
• Specialized Group
• Career Craft

These firms can provide insights and guidance to help you navigate the job market and gather relevant salary information. Recruiting companies’ websites also offer up a goldmine of valuable salary info and insights into working in Japan, such as this article: how to get an engineer visa in Japan.

Factors Affecting Salary Ranges in the Japanese Software/IT Industry

To earn a competitive salary in the Japanese tech industry, it's essential to take into account the following factors that influence salary ranges:

Experience:

Your level of experience significantly impacts your expected salary. Junior developers with 1-2 years of experience can earn between 5M to 7M JPY annually, while senior developers with over 6 years of experience can expect between 8M to 15M JPY. If you possess exceptional tech skills, you can negotiate for higher salaries.

Location:

Consider your location as it can affect your job prospects. If you are already in Japan, you may have a better chance of connecting with employers interested in hiring you. Starting with a multinational company can serve as a stepping stone to explore other opportunities once you are in Japan.

Proficiency in Japanese

When pursuing employment in Japan, it's important to recognize the significance of fluency in Japanese. Possessing a basic level of Japanese communication skills can offer distinct advantages.

Employers often hold the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) certification in high regard as it serves as an indicator of an individual's Japanese proficiency level. To gain valuable insights into the nature of JLPT exams and effective preparation strategies, I recommend referring to this informative article: how to study for JLPT.

Educational Qualifications:

Having an IT-related degree gives you an advantage compared to IT professionals who gain experience solely through work.

Rising Demand for Tech Professionals in Japan:

The rapid digitalization experienced in Japan and worldwide has created a growing demand for skilled IT professionals.

Some of the most sought-after IT roles in Japan include Full Stack Developers, Software Developers, Data Scientists, Cybersecurity Specialists, and Cloud Solutions Specialists.

According to this article, the top three hiring challenges for employers in Japan are:

• A lack of industry experience (52%)
• A lack of technical qualifications (41%)
• A shortage of applicants (27%)

By considering these factors, you can feel confident about finding a tech job in Japan by leveraging your experience, language skills, and qualifications.

With continuously improving salary levels and a huge shortage of IT talent, you will find Japan a great country for software engineers.