Higher Education Salary Report 2026: Japan
Salary report and benchmark
Faculty in Japan earn around ¥9.85 million on average (MEXT, June 2026).
How academic pay works in Japan
Academic Jobs, the higher education salary benchmark, based on 471 university job posts since January 1, 2026, drawn from millions of historical job posts.
A university salary in Japan is usually a scale or a band, not a single negotiated rate.
Academic ranks and professional roles move on different agreements.
The professor figure in this report is ¥9.85 million (MEXT, June 2026).
Amounts are in yen and were checked on 22 October 2026.
The benchmark covers 471 higher education roles in Japan since January 1, 2026.
Hiring is concentrated at University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Osaka University.
| Role | Pay now | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Professor | ¥7,000,000 | 197 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Associate Professor | ¥6,500,000 | 163 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Assistant Professor | ¥5,500,000 | 118 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research | ¥5,500,000 | 112 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Tenure | ¥7,000,000 | 69 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Fellow | ¥5,500,000 | 66 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Scientist/Associate | ¥5,854,800 | 60 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Post-Doc | ¥5,500,000 | 39 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Tenure-track | ¥6,500,000 | 33 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Lecturer/Instructor | ¥5,342,500 | 30 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Professor | ¥7,000,000 | 25 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Faculty Researcher | ¥5,500,000 | 14 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Post Doc Research Fellow | ¥5,680,000 | 10 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Lecturer | ¥6,000,000 | 5 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| PhD Researcher | ¥5,500,000 | 4 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
7 more roles
| Role | Pay now | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Adjunct Faculty | ¥3,617,015 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Sessional Lecturer | ¥2,367,015 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Clinical Chair | ¥7,000,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Clinical Educator | ¥4,000,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Assistant | ¥4,264,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Manager | ¥8,000,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Visiting Professor | ¥7,000,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
Sources
Academic pay
Faculty, all ranks
¥9.85 million
Faculty average, all ranks
What changes pay
Discipline
Professional faculties often sit above the academic scale for the same rank.
Experience
Step increases inside a grade move pay without a change of title.
Funding
Grant-funded research roles can sit outside the teaching scale.
Benefits
Superannuation, pension, and medical aid sit on top of the headline salary.
Compare a real offer
Use this salary report when you negotiate, or compare professor salaries and university salaries.