# Salary negotiation in Japan: benchmarks and rules for foreign hires

URL: https://japanhow.com/work/jobs/salary-negotiation-japan/
Author: JapanHow editors
Updated: Oct 28, 2026

## Summary

Before salary negotiation in Japan, check three official anchors. Government data for June 2025 puts average scheduled pay at ¥340,600 a month, ¥396,300 for university graduates and ¥313,200 for foreign workers in professional and technical statuses. Work visas such as Engineer/Specialist require pay equal to or above a Japanese colleague's. Employers must state wages in writing and cannot pay less because of nationality. Figures are as of October 2026.

## Key facts

- Average monthly pay (2025): ¥340,600 scheduled pay
- University graduates: ¥396,300 per month
- Foreign professional/technical: ¥313,200 per month
- Visa rule: Equal to or above a Japanese colleague

**Salary negotiation in Japan** works best when you bring official numbers. Government data for June 2025 puts average scheduled pay for general workers at **¥340,600 a month**, with **¥396,300** for university graduates and **¥313,200** for foreign workers in professional and technical statuses. If your visa is a work status such as Engineer/Specialist, your pay must also be **equal to or above a Japanese colleague's**. All as of October 2026.

This guide is about benchmarks and rules. It doesn't cover how hard to push or whether raises are customary, because we found no official source for those. For what you keep after deductions, see [take-home pay in Japan](/money/tax/take-home-pay-japan/).

## What do official figures say about pay in Japan?

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) publishes the Basic Survey on Wage Structure (賃金構造基本統計調査). The 2025 results use pay for June 2025.

**Average scheduled pay, all general workers:** ¥340,600 / month (June 2025, before income tax, excluding overtime. Men ¥373,400, women ¥285,900.)

| Group (June 2025, per month) | Scheduled pay |
|---|---|
| High school graduates | ¥297,200 |
| Vocational college graduates | ¥313,700 |
| University graduates | ¥396,300 |
| Graduate school | ¥517,400 |
| New graduates, university | ¥262,300 |
| Regular employees, information and communications | ¥411,000 |
| Regular employees, education and learning support | ¥396,700 |
| Foreign workers, all statuses | ¥254,300 |
| Foreign workers, professional/technical statuses | ¥313,200 |
| Foreign workers, status-based (e.g. permanent resident, spouse) | ¥311,100 |

Three cautions before you quote these to an employer:

- **The figure is scheduled pay (所定内給与額).** It is cash pay set by the contract, before income tax, and it **excludes overtime pay**. Bonuses are separate. Compare it with your base salary plus fixed allowances, not your total with overtime.
- **The professional/technical foreign figure is a category average.** It covers many statuses, including Highly Skilled Professional, Instructor and Engineer/Specialist, at an average age of 32.4 and 3.2 years with the employer. It is not a pay level for your role.
- **Industry rows cover regular employees of all nationalities,** and are not specific to your job title.

## What does my visa require?

For Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, one of the landing criteria is pay **equal to or more than a Japanese person would receive for the work** (日本人が従事する場合に受ける報酬と同等額以上). Immigration also says:

- "Remuneration" means payment for your services. **Commuting, dependent and housing allowances are not counted** as reimbursement-type items, unless they are taxable.
- It publishes example cases that were granted, such as a software engineer at about ¥350,000 a month, and IT-related staff at about ¥450,000. These are past examples, **not minimums**.

So a low offer is a visa risk, not only a pay issue. If you're offered less than colleagues doing the same job, you can say so. See the [Engineer/Specialist visa guide](/visa/visas/engineer-humanities-visa-japan/). If your new pay or duties change your status, see [changing jobs on a work visa](/visa/visas/changing-jobs-visa-japan/).

## What are my legal protections?

- **No unequal pay by nationality.** The Labor Standards Act (労働基準法), Article 3, bars unequal wages, hours or conditions because of nationality. The ministry's guideline for foreign workers repeats this.
- **Wages in writing.** Under Article 15, the employer must state wages, hours and other conditions when the contract is made. If they differ from the facts, you may cancel immediately. The ministry's guideline adds that the document should be in a form you can understand.
- **Work rules for raises.** Employers with 10 or more workers must file work rules (就業規則) covering how wages are decided and calculated, and raises (昇給) (Article 89). Ask to see them.
- **Pay floors.** For the legal pay floor, see [minimum wage in Japan](/work/rights/minimum-wage-japan/).

## What should I compare and ask for in writing?

1. **Base pay versus total.** Ask what is scheduled pay and what is overtime, so you can compare with the benchmarks above.
2. **Allowances.** Note which are taxable pay and which are expense reimbursement.
3. **Bonuses.** See [bonus tax for foreigners](/money/tax/bonus-tax-japan-foreigners/) for how they are taxed.
4. **Raises.** Ask where the raise rules (昇給) are written down.
5. **The conditions document.** Check it matches the offer before you sign.

**Not individual advice:** This guide gives public benchmarks, not a recommended figure for you. For visa questions about your pay, ask the immigration bureau or an immigration specialist (行政書士). For a dispute over unpaid or unequal wages, see the [labor rights guide](/work/rights/labor-rights-foreign-workers-japan/).

## Questions people ask

### Does my work visa set a minimum salary?

There is no fixed yen minimum, but the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services criteria require pay equal to or more than a Japanese person would get for the same work.

### What is the average salary of foreign workers in Japan?

The 2025 wage survey, for June 2025, shows foreign workers averaged ¥254,300 per month in scheduled pay. Those in professional and technical statuses averaged ¥313,200, at an average age of 32.4.

### Can an employer pay me less because I'm not Japanese?

No. The Labor Standards Act bars unequal wages, hours or conditions because of nationality, and the ministry's guideline for foreign workers says the same.

### What counts as salary for the visa pay rule?

Immigration says remuneration is payment for your work. Reimbursement-type items such as commuting, dependent and housing allowances are not counted, unless they are taxable.

### What should be in writing before I sign?

Wages, working hours and other conditions must be stated when the contract is made. If the stated conditions differ from the facts, you may cancel the contract immediately.

## Sources

- [令和７（2025）年賃金構造基本統計調査の概況](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/itiran/roudou/chingin/kouzou/z2025/dl/14.pdf), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [「技術・人文知識・国際業務」の在留資格の明確化等について（最終改定令和8年4月）](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001460430.pdf), Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [技術・人文知識・国際業務 活動・上陸許可基準 (PDF)](https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001366995.pdf), Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [労働基準法 (Labor Standards Act), Articles 3, 15, 89](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/322AC0000000049), e-Gov Law Search (Digital Agency) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)
- [外国人労働者の雇用管理の改善等に関して事業主が適切に対処するための指針（抄）](https://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/koyou/gaikokujin13/dl/index01_0002.pdf), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) (accessed Oct 28, 2026)