Japan hires most new graduates once a year, as a cohort, straight into permanent roles — the same start date, the same starting salary, regardless of the university or the individual. That makes "starting salary" a meaningful national figure here in a way it is not in most countries.
Scheduled monthly pay in the first year. Overtime, bonuses and commuting allowances are excluded — actual take-home is higher, and bonuses in particular are a large part of Japanese pay (see bonuses).
| Education | Starting pay / month | vs university |
|---|---|---|
| Upper secondary | ¥186.8k | 79% |
| Vocational school | ¥214.5k | 90% |
| Junior college | ¥214.6k | 90% |
| University (bachelor's) | ¥237.3k | 100% |
| Graduate school | ¥276.0k | 116% |
The spread across education levels is narrow by international standards — an upper-secondary leaver starts at 79% of a university graduate. Japanese pay differentiates later, through years of service, rather than at entry.
| Industry | Starting pay / month |
|---|---|
| All industries | ¥237.3k |
| 鉱業，採石業，砂利採取業 | ¥288.2k |
| Medical, health care and welfare | ¥251.4k |
| Transport and postal services | ¥248.4k |
| Information and communications | ¥244.4k |
| Scientific research, professional and technical services | ¥241.9k |
| Construction | ¥240.6k |
| Real estate and goods rental and leasing | ¥236.9k |
| Education, learning support | ¥235.4k |
| Wholesale and retail trade | ¥235.1k |
| Manufacturing | ¥233.4k |
| Electricity, gas, heat supply and water | ¥226.7k |
| Finance and insurance | ¥226.7k |
| Living-related and personal services and amusement services | ¥224.9k |
| Accommodations, eating and drinking services | ¥220.3k |
| Services, n.e.c. | ¥219.9k |
| Compound services | ¥205.5k |
Highest to lowest is only 1.40×. Starting salary is a poor way to choose an employer in Japan — the differences that matter show up over a career, not at the start. Compare average pay by company instead (company index).
| Employer size | Starting pay / month |
|---|---|
| All sizes (10+) | ¥237.3k |
| 1,000+ employees | ¥244.5k |
| 100–999 | ¥233.6k |
| 10–99 | ¥225.4k |
Size barely moves the starting figure, but it moves bonuses and retirement payouts a great deal. The gap opens after entry, not at it.
Not sure how this works in Japan? Graduate hiring: how the system works.
Retirement payouts ・ Bonuses ・ Starting salaries ・ Overtime hours ・ Paid leave uptake ・ Men's parental leave ・ Women in management ・ all benchmarks.
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure — scheduled pay of new graduates by education level (e-Stat 0003447181). Compiled by Corpus; not provided or endorsed by any government agency. Japanese edition: 初任給の相場.