Average Category Leader Salary in Japan for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Category Leader salary for 2024 in Japan and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Japanese yen. To keep things simple, we are using the JPY currency code instead of the currency symbol ¥.

How Much Does a Category Leader Make in Japan?

A Category Leader working in Japan will typically earn around 5,926,600 JPY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 2,902,500 JPY to the highest average salary of 9,250,100 JPY.

Average Annual Salary
5,926,600 JPY
Average Monthly Salary
493,883 JPY

Lowest Annual Salary
2,902,500 JPY
Lowest Monthly Salary
241,875 JPY

Highest Annual Salary
9,250,100 JPY
Highest Monthly Salary
770,841 JPY

These are average salaries for a Category Leader in Japan and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Category Leader to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Category Leader salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Category Leader Salaries in Japan

So we've looked at the average salaries a Category Leader will earn in Japan. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Category Leader can earn between 2,902,500 JPY and 9,250,100 JPY on average in Japan. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Category Leader in Japan is 6,048,900 JPY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 6,048,900 JPY, and 50% of the population earn more than 6,048,900 JPY.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Category Leader salary in Japan, 25% of the population are earning less than 4,032,100 JPY while 75% of the population earn more than 4,032,100 JPY.

75% of the population earn less than 7,812,200 JPY, and 25% of the population earn more than 7,812,200 JPY.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Category Leader Salary by Experience Level in Japan

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average category leader salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Category Leader in Japan that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 3,444,200 JPY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Category Leader salary would increase to 4,429,300 JPY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Category Leader, the average salary would be 6,109,700 JPY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 7,572,700 JPY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Category Leader with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 8,111,500 JPY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Category Leader with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 8,650,700 JPY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
3,444,200 JPY
2-5 Years +29%
4,429,300 JPY
5-10 Years +38%
6,109,700 JPY
10-15 Years +24%
7,572,700 JPY
15-20 Years +7%
8,111,500 JPY
20+ Years +7%
8,650,700 JPY

Category Leader Salary by Education Level in Japan

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Category Leader in Japan based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Category Leader in Japan with a high school education can earn an average salary of 4,309,300 JPY.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Category Leader in Japan with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 4,943,500 JPY.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Category Leader in Japan with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 6,648,800 JPY.

  • Master's Degree. A Category Leader in Japan with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 8,362,500 JPY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
4,309,300 JPY
Certificate or Diploma +15%
4,943,500 JPY
Bachelor's Degree +35%
6,648,800 JPY
Master's Degree +26%
8,362,500 JPY

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Japan is around 2,570,000 to 7,720,000 JPY and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Category Leader Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Japan, a male category leader will earn an average of 6,084,900 JPY, while a female category leader will earn around 5,747,700 JPY.

This means that a male category leader earns approximately 6% more than a female category leader for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Japan

Male
6,084,900 JPY
Female -6%
5,747,700 JPY

Category Leader Average Pay Raise in Japan

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Category Leader in Japan is around 9% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Japan is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 9 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Category Leader in Japan can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Japan for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Japan.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
8%
Energy
7%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
5%
Travel
4%
Construction
3%
Education
2%

Category Leader Bonus and Incentive Rates in Japan

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Category Leader is a moderate bonus based job, with 58% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

42% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Japan earn approximately 4% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
6,300,400 JPY
Private Sector -4%
6,048,900 JPY

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Category Leader

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Category Leader in Japan.

Job Title Category Salary
Asset Management Associate Purchasing and Inventory 5,843,600 JPY
Asset Protection Associate Purchasing and Inventory 5,399,900 JPY
Asset Protection Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 5,747,700 JPY
Assistant Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 4,943,500 JPY
Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 8,411,800 JPY
Capacity Planner Purchasing and Inventory 6,118,800 JPY
Category Management Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 6,142,600 JPY
Category Manager Purchasing and Inventory 6,457,900 JPY
Channel Services Representative Purchasing and Inventory 6,300,400 JPY
Contracts Manager Purchasing and Inventory 7,057,300 JPY
Contracts Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 5,686,100 JPY
Demand Planner Purchasing and Inventory 6,493,000 JPY
Demand Planning Manager Purchasing and Inventory 7,297,800 JPY
Distribution Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 5,003,800 JPY
Distribution Associate Purchasing and Inventory 5,123,800 JPY
Distribution Manager Purchasing and Inventory 10,978,600 JPY
Inventory Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 5,531,100 JPY
Inventory Control Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 3,035,200 JPY
Inventory Control Manager Purchasing and Inventory 7,750,400 JPY
Inventory Management Associate Purchasing and Inventory 5,868,200 JPY
Inventory Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 5,651,400 JPY
Logistics Engineer Purchasing and Inventory 5,351,400 JPY
Master Planner Purchasing and Inventory 5,567,700 JPY
Material Handler Purchasing and Inventory 3,610,800 JPY
Material Planning Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 4,642,200 JPY
Merchandise Manager Purchasing and Inventory 6,433,500 JPY
Procurement Administrator Purchasing and Inventory 6,901,600 JPY
Procurement Agent Purchasing and Inventory 4,414,800 JPY
Procurement Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 7,140,500 JPY
Procurement Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 4,224,200 JPY
Procurement Associate Purchasing and Inventory 6,035,400 JPY
Procurement Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 2,617,900 JPY
Procurement Engineer Purchasing and Inventory 5,388,100 JPY
Procurement Manager Purchasing and Inventory 11,173,600 JPY
Procurement Officer Purchasing and Inventory 2,676,200 JPY
Procurement Process Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 6,613,100 JPY
Procurement Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 5,531,100 JPY
Production Planner Purchasing and Inventory 6,382,300 JPY
Project Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 7,285,700 JPY
Purchaser Purchasing and Inventory 8,737,100 JPY
Purchasing Agent Purchasing and Inventory 4,714,900 JPY
Purchasing Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 3,144,700 JPY
Purchasing Manager Purchasing and Inventory 11,699,900 JPY
Purchasing Officer Purchasing and Inventory 5,267,700 JPY
Purchasing Supervisor Purchasing and Inventory 7,896,400 JPY
Shipping and Receiving Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 2,854,700 JPY
Shipping Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 5,686,100 JPY
Stock Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 3,108,200 JPY
Stock Regulator Purchasing and Inventory 3,514,400 JPY
Storage Manager Purchasing and Inventory 6,850,500 JPY
Store Keeper Purchasing and Inventory 2,987,000 JPY
Stores and Logistics Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 5,857,100 JPY
Supply Chain Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 8,099,800 JPY
Supply Chain Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 6,168,300 JPY
Supply Chain Development Manager Purchasing and Inventory 10,333,800 JPY
Supply Chain Director Purchasing and Inventory 11,818,500 JPY
Supply Chain Manager Purchasing and Inventory 11,998,600 JPY
Supply Planner Purchasing and Inventory 5,747,700 JPY
Warehouse Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 2,314,800 JPY
Warehouse Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 2,485,800 JPY
Warehouse Executive Purchasing and Inventory 9,706,900 JPY
Warehouse Lead Purchasing and Inventory 6,624,300 JPY
Warehouse Manager Purchasing and Inventory 10,270,100 JPY
Warehouse Supervisor Purchasing and Inventory 7,129,200 JPY
Wholesale Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 9,036,900 JPY

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Japan, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Fukuoka 5,735,900 JPY
Hiroshima 5,242,700 JPY
Kawasaki 5,605,200 JPY
Kobe 5,761,400 JPY
Kyoto 5,857,100 JPY
Nagoya 6,251,400 JPY
Osaka 6,132,900 JPY
Saitama 5,686,100 JPY
Sapporo 5,761,400 JPY
Sendai 5,326,200 JPY
Tokyo 6,514,800 JPY
Yokohama 6,648,800 JPY

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