Software Engineer Salary in Tokyo 2026: ¥5M-¥30M+ (USD $33K-$200K+) Complete Guide

Tokyo is the largest tech market in Asia that most international engineers overlook.

While Singapore captures headlines as APAC's tech capital and India dominates in engineering headcount, Tokyo sits quietly at the top of the region's salary ladder for software engineers who know where to look. The market is bifurcated in a way that misleads casual observers: average Japanese corporate salaries look modest compared to the West, but the global tech companies operating in Tokyo - Google, Amazon, Meta, Mercari, and a growing tier of funded startups - pay internationally competitive compensation that rivals Singapore and beats Berlin.

This guide gives you the full picture: what software engineers actually earn at each level, which employers pay the most, how Tokyo compares to Singapore and Berlin, and what the visa path looks like for international engineers.

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Tokyo Tech Market Overview

Tokyo's tech ecosystem has two distinct layers - and understanding the divide is essential for setting salary expectations.

Layer 1: Japanese Tech Incumbents

The major Japanese tech and internet companies - Rakuten, CyberAgent, GREE, DeNA, NTT, NTT Data, Fujitsu, and NEC - represent the traditional core of Tokyo's tech market. These companies employ large engineering teams and offer stable employment with strong benefits packages. Salaries, however, are calibrated to Japanese market norms: solid but not globally competitive at senior levels.

Layer 2: Modern Tech Companies and Global Offices

A newer cohort of Japanese tech companies has broken from traditional pay norms. Mercari, the Japanese marketplace giant, has built an engineering culture deliberately modeled on global tech companies and pays accordingly. Line (now LY Corporation after merging with Yahoo Japan), Smarthr, Freee, and MoneyForward have modernized their engineering compensation significantly.

On top of these, Tokyo hosts substantial FAANG and global tech presence: Google's engineering office in Shibuya, Amazon's large Tokyo operation, Meta's APAC engineering presence, and regional offices for Stripe, Twilio, Datadog, and dozens of enterprise software companies. These offices typically pay USD-denominated or USD-equivalent compensation, pushing senior engineer total comp to ¥20M-¥30M+.

SoftBank, one of the world's largest technology investors, maintains a significant in-house engineering operation and pays above Japanese market norms for specialized talent.

The practical implication: two software engineers with identical experience levels and skills can have a 2-3× salary difference in Tokyo depending solely on employer type.

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Software Engineer Salary by Level in Tokyo (2026)

Junior Software Engineer (0-2 years experience)

Salary range: ¥5M-¥8M/year (USD $33K-$53K)

Entry-level software engineers in Tokyo earn in the ¥5M-¥7M range at Japanese tech companies, reflecting Japan's compressed entry-level pay structure. Global tech offices and well-funded startups start at ¥7M-¥8M+ for junior engineers with competitive university backgrounds or strong project portfolios.

Japan's new graduate hiring (Shuukatsu) system means many engineers enter the workforce at lower starting salaries with an expectation of steady progression - a norm that English-speaking engineers with international backgrounds can often bypass by applying as mid-career hires even early in their careers.

Mid-Level Software Engineer (2-5 years experience)

Salary range: ¥8M-¥13M/year (USD $53K-$87K)

Mid-level is where Tokyo's market starts to bifurcate clearly. Engineers at established Japanese companies typically land in the ¥8M-¥10M range. Engineers at Mercari, Line, or funded startups with genuine engineering cultures reach ¥10M-¥12M. Engineers at FAANG offices with strong performance reach ¥12M-¥13M+ in total compensation including RSUs and bonuses.

At this level, English language ability and experience with modern engineering practices (cloud-native development, CI/CD, distributed systems) start commanding meaningful premiums - particularly at companies competing for international talent.

Senior Software Engineer (5-8 years experience)

Salary range: ¥12M-¥20M/year (USD $80K-$133K)

Senior engineering salaries in Tokyo are where the market most closely approximates international tech hubs. Senior engineers at Mercari and top Japanese tech companies earn ¥13M-¥18M in total compensation. FAANG offices in Tokyo pay senior engineers ¥16M-¥22M including equity, which at current exchange rates is genuinely competitive with European tech markets.

Engineers with specializations in cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, or mobile platforms (iOS/Android) command the upper end of the range. Fintech experience - valuable given Tokyo's density of financial institutions and payments companies - also carries a premium.

Lead / Staff Software Engineer (8+ years experience)

Salary range: ¥18M-¥30M+/year (USD $120K-$200K+)

Lead-level engineers in Tokyo who join global tech companies can reach total compensation packages that compete with London and Singapore. Staff Engineer equivalents at Google's Tokyo office, senior technical leads at Mercari, and principal engineers at Amazon Japan command ¥22M-¥30M+ when equity and bonuses are included.

At this level, technical leadership, architectural decision-making, and cross-team influence are expected. Engineers who can operate effectively in both English and Japanese contexts - bridging global engineering teams with Japanese product and business teams - are particularly valuable and command premiums accordingly.

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Top Employers for Software Engineers in Tokyo

Mercari is the standout name in Tokyo's modern tech scene. The company built a reputation for paying globally competitive salaries and running an engineering organization modeled on Silicon Valley norms. Senior engineers at Mercari reach ¥15M-¥22M+ in total compensation. The company actively recruits international engineers and has a strong English-language engineering culture. LY Corporation (Line + Yahoo Japan) is one of Japan's largest tech employers. Post-merger compensation has been rationalized, with strong pay for engineers working on core messaging infrastructure, payments, and AI features. Senior engineers reach ¥14M-¥20M. CyberAgent runs Japan's largest gaming and digital advertising businesses. Engineering pay is competitive within the Japanese market, with senior engineers reaching ¥12M-¥16M. The company has a particularly strong reputation for game engineering and mobile development. Rakuten pays well above the Japanese average for engineers with strong systems skills, particularly on e-commerce infrastructure, payments, and the company's growing fintech products. Rakuten also has significant English-language engineering teams given its global operations. SoftBank and its portfolio companies (Paypay, Yahoo Japan, Z Holdings products) offer competitive salaries for engineers with fintech and mobile payments experience - a growing segment as Japan's cashless transition accelerates. FAANG and Global Tech Offices: Google, Amazon, Meta, and a range of enterprise software companies maintain Tokyo engineering offices. These offices typically pay USD-indexed or USD-equivalent compensation, with senior engineers earning ¥18M-¥28M+ in total compensation. Amazon Japan's engineering headcount is particularly large given the scale of its Japan e-commerce and AWS operations. Funded Startups: Tokyo's startup ecosystem has matured significantly. Companies like Smarthr, Freee, MoneyForward, and a newer generation of AI startups (Sakana AI, others) offer equity-weighted compensation that can exceed corporate packages for engineers comfortable with early-stage risk.

Japan Work Visa Guide for Software Engineers

Japan has one of Asia's clearest and most foreigner-friendly work visa systems for skilled tech workers.

Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services Visa

This is the standard work visa for software engineers. Requirements:

A valid job offer from a Japanese company

Relevant educational qualifications (a university degree in a related field) OR 10+ years of professional experience in the role

Employer sponsorship (the company handles most of the application process)

Valid passport

Processing time is typically 2-4 weeks once documents are submitted. The visa is initially granted for 1-5 years and is renewable. Dependent visas for family members are straightforward.

Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) Visa

Japan's HSP visa uses a points-based system (similar to the UK's skilled worker visa) to identify high-value foreign workers. Software engineers with advanced degrees, high salaries (¥10M+/year helps significantly), Japanese language ability, or prestigious academic backgrounds can qualify. Benefits include:

Preferential path to permanent residency: 3 years (HSP1) or just 1 year (HSP2 for very high earners and achievers)

Permission to bring domestic workers

Greater job-changing flexibility

Permanent Residency

Standard work visa holders become eligible for permanent residency after 10 years. HSP visa holders can qualify after 1-3 years. Japan does not require renouncing existing citizenship to obtain permanent residency (though it does for Japanese citizenship itself).

Practical Notes: Japanese bureaucracy has improved significantly for English-speaking applicants. Most major tech companies (Mercari, Google Japan, Amazon Japan) have dedicated relocation and visa support teams. Cost of relocation support varies but commonly includes visa fees, flights, initial accommodation, and a settling-in allowance.

Key Skills That Command a Premium in Tokyo

Tokyo's highest-paying software engineering roles cluster around specific technical domains:

Cloud Infrastructure: AWS dominates Japan's cloud market, with AWS Japan one of Amazon's most important regional businesses. Engineers with deep AWS expertise - particularly Solutions Architect-level skills in complex multi-region deployments - are in continuous high demand. GCP and Azure skills are also valued but less universally. Mobile Development: Japan has one of the world's highest smartphone penetration rates and a rich mobile gaming ecosystem. iOS and Android engineers with experience in high-performance mobile applications, particularly for games or payments, command strong premiums. Payments and Fintech: Japan's aggressive push toward cashless payments (Paypay, Line Pay, Rakuten Pay) has created sustained demand for payments infrastructure engineers. Experience with high-throughput transaction systems, fraud detection, and financial compliance is highly valued. AI and Machine Learning: The broader AI wave has hit Tokyo hard. Companies from CyberAgent to SoftBank are investing heavily in LLM applications, recommendation systems, and computer vision. Engineers who can implement and productionize ML models - not just run Jupyter notebooks - are in short supply. Japanese Language Skills: Not required at global tech companies, but meaningful. Engineers who can operate comfortably in Japanese technical environments can access a larger pool of employers and often negotiate stronger packages by being rarer than purely English-speaking candidates. Take our career quiz to find your market value →

Tokyo vs Singapore vs Berlin: Which Market Pays More?

The three markets are genuinely comparable at senior levels, but with important differences in tax treatment, cost of living, and career trajectory.

Senior Software Engineer comparison (5-8 years experience): Key takeaways:

Tokyo and Singapore are closely matched on after-tax income for senior engineers at global tech companies. Singapore edges ahead on absolute take-home due to lower effective tax rates (Singapore's flat 17% corporate rate doesn't apply to personal income, but Singapore's personal income tax tops out at 22% vs Japan's combined national + local tax of ~30-35% at senior salary levels).

Berlin pays higher gross salaries at top-tier employers than the numbers suggest - but Germany's combined income tax and social security contributions (often 40-45% of gross for senior engineers) significantly erode real take-home pay. A senior Berlin engineer earning €100K gross takes home approximately €58K-€62K. The equivalent Tokyo engineer at ¥20M takes home roughly ¥13M-¥15M (USD $87K-$100K).

For engineers prioritizing purchasing power, Tokyo and Singapore come out significantly ahead of Berlin for senior and above roles.

Compare Singapore and Tokyo salary data → See Singapore software engineer salary data →

Negotiation Tips for Software Engineers in Tokyo

Understand the Two-Tier System

Knowing whether you're negotiating with a traditional Japanese company or a globally-minded tech company fundamentally changes your approach. At traditional companies, salary negotiation is less expected and requires more careful framing around demonstrated market data. At Mercari, Line, or FAANG offices, compensation negotiation is fully expected and bands are designed with negotiation in mind.

Benchmark Before You Start

Japan-specific salary data is harder to find than US or European data. Use CareerCheck's Tokyo software engineer salary data alongside Glassdoor Japan and LinkedIn Salary to build a complete picture before your first conversation with HR.

Housing Allowance (Jutaku Teate)

Japan has a strong tradition of employer housing allowances, and this benefit is more consistently available than in Western markets. Standard housing allowances range from ¥20,000-¥80,000/month (¥240K-¥960K/year) and can represent a significant portion of your effective compensation. Always ask explicitly - it's expected, not aggressive. At Japanese corporates, this may be structured as access to company housing (shataku) at heavily subsidized rates.

Commuter Pass (Teiki)

Employers in Japan universally cover commuting costs via commuter pass (teiki) reimbursement. This is standard and not negotiable, but confirm the coverage - some companies cap at the most economical route, while others cover your actual route.

Bonus Structure

Japanese companies typically pay bonuses twice a year (summer and winter), with combined amounts of 2-4 months' salary at healthy companies. Global tech offices pay annual or quarterly bonuses based on individual and company performance. Ensure you understand the bonus structure and performance targets before accepting an offer - guaranteed vs discretionary bonuses have very different values.

RSU Vesting

At Mercari, FAANG offices, and funded startups, RSU equity is a significant portion of total compensation. Negotiate the initial grant size and understand the vesting schedule (typically 4-year with 1-year cliff). For senior roles, a sign-on RSU grant to offset unvested equity at your current employer is standard at global tech companies and worth requesting explicitly.

Negotiate in Writing

Japan's business culture traditionally emphasizes verbal agreements and relationship-based communication, but salary negotiations are increasingly handled in writing - particularly at global tech companies. Get the full compensation package in writing before signing anything, including all allowances, bonus structures, and equity details. Explore all salary data to build your benchmark →

Is Tokyo Worth It for Software Engineers in 2026?

For software engineers targeting APAC markets, Tokyo is the most compelling market that most engineers don't consider.

Singapore's reputation means higher competition for global tech roles - the talent pool is smaller but so is supply. Tokyo has a larger absolute number of high-paying tech positions, lower housing costs than Singapore, and a world-class city that genuinely improves quality of life in ways the salary data can't capture.

The traditional challenges - Japanese language barriers, corporate hierarchy, and slower hiring processes at Japanese companies - have meaningfully diminished at the tier of employer most international engineers are targeting. Mercari, Google Japan, Amazon Japan, and the funded startup tier all operate with international hiring processes and English-first engineering cultures.

For mid-level engineers with cloud, mobile, or fintech skills: Tokyo offers a path to compensation that matches Singapore and beats Berlin, in a city with lower living costs than either and one of the world's best public transport systems.

For senior and lead-level engineers: the top of Tokyo's compensation range is genuinely world-class. ¥25M-¥30M+ total comp (USD $167K-$200K+) with Japan's relatively moderate cost of living creates real wealth accumulation potential - particularly for engineers who qualify for the HSP visa's fast-track permanent residency.

The market is real, it's growing, and most of your competition hasn't figured it out yet.

Use CareerCheck's Tokyo software engineer salary data to benchmark your current compensation or evaluate an incoming offer.