Japan's Highest Paying Jobs (And Why You Chose Wrong)

So, turns out we all picked the wrong jobs in Japan. Shocking, I know. 🫠

So Who's Rolling in Yen?

Every now and then, the Japanese government releases data that feels specifically designed to make you question your life choices. This time, it’s the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's latest survey on high-paying professions, and it’s a doozy.

For the guys, the top of the pyramid is occupied by Airline Pilots, cruising at an average annual salary of ¥16.55 million. That’s not a typo. In second place are Doctors, pulling in a cool ¥15.94 million. The rest of the top five are a mix of finance professionals, dentists, and university professors, all clearing the ¥11 million mark.

Meanwhile, I'm just trying to make sure my Suica balance is high enough to get home after work. It’s fine. We're fine.

And For the Ladies?

For women, the list is a bit different but still firmly in the “wow, okay” category. Doctors take the top spot here, with an average salary of ¥12.75 million. They're followed by Dentists (¥9.99M), University Professors (¥9.81M), and Legal Professionals (¥8.99M).

Now, you might notice that a male doctor earns, on average, about ¥3 million more than a female doctor. Before you get the protest signs ready, the report includes a very Japanese disclaimer. It notes that these are just averages across the whole profession. The numbers don't account for differences in average age, years of service, specific roles, or hours worked between the men and women surveyed. So, it’s complicated.

Time for a Career Change?

So, obviously, the only logical conclusion is that we should all quit our jobs tomorrow and enroll in medical school or flight academy. Easy, right?

I’ll just add “become fluent enough in Japanese to pass the national medical licensing exam” to my to-do list. It can go right between “finally understand the burnable vs. non-burnable trash schedule” and “learn how to order at a ramen vending machine without holding up the line for ten minutes.”

It’s nice to dream, though. For now, I guess we can take comfort in the fact that our jobs probably don’t involve the stress of performing emergency surgery or landing a 300-ton aircraft in a typhoon. I’ll stick with my conbini coffee, thank you.