So, You Think ¥10 Million is Rich in Japan?

That ¥10 million salary you're chasing? Turns out it doesn't make you 'rich' here.

So what is 'rich' anyway?

I always figured hitting that ¥10M/year mark was the endgame. Apparently not.

According to the Nomura Research Institute, the people who actually track this stuff, being 'rich' isn't about your annual income. It's about your net financial assets. Think cash, stocks, bonds, investments—minus all your debts. Your apartment doesn't count.

They have tiers for this. The 'jun-fuyūsō' or 'affluent' class have between ¥50 million and ¥100 million in assets. To be considered true 'fuyūsō' — the actual rich — you need assets between ¥100 million and ¥500 million. Anything over ¥500 million puts you in the 'chō-fuyūsō' or 'super-rich' category. 🤯

How many people are we talking about?

This is the part that gets me. Those 'rich' folks? There are only about 1.4 million households that qualify in all of Japan.

That's just 2.7% of the entire country. Two. Point. Seven. Percent.

The super-rich are even rarer, at just 90,000 households. Suddenly the packed train to Shinjuku makes a lot more sense.

Okay, but my salary matters, right?

Yes and no. The report makes a painful point: a person making ¥10 million a year but spending it all is building zero wealth.

Meanwhile, someone making ¥7 million who saves and invests consistently can actually build up the assets to hit that 'affluent' or even 'rich' status over time. A lot of the wealth growth in recent years came from stock market gains, not just salary raises.

And about a third of Japan's 'rich' class are business owners. They're not just climbing the corporate ladder; they own the ladder.

So yeah, that ¥10 million figure is a nice goal. But it's not the finish line. It's just the start of having enough money to maybe start playing the real game.