Average Pharmaceutical Research Associate Salary in Japan for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate Make in Japan?

A Pharmaceutical Research Associate working in Japan will typically earn around 8,554,100 JPY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 4,270,100 JPY to the highest average salary of 13,199,100 JPY.

Average Annual Salary
8,554,100 JPY
Average Monthly Salary
712,841 JPY

Lowest Annual Salary
4,270,100 JPY
Lowest Monthly Salary
355,841 JPY

Highest Annual Salary
13,199,100 JPY
Highest Monthly Salary
1,099,925 JPY

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

Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate Salaries in Japan

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Pharmaceutical Research Associate can earn between 4,270,100 JPY and 13,199,100 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan is 8,554,100 JPY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 8,554,100 JPY, and 50% of the population earn more than 8,554,100 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate salary in Japan, 25% of the population are earning less than 5,771,600 JPY while 75% of the population earn more than 5,771,600 JPY.

75% of the population earn less than 10,907,900 JPY, and 25% of the population earn more than 10,907,900 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.

Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 pharmaceutical research associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 5,123,800 JPY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Pharmaceutical Research Associate salary would increase to 6,791,800 JPY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Pharmaceutical Research Associate, the average salary would be 9,082,500 JPY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 10,835,000 JPY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Pharmaceutical Research Associate with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 11,688,600 JPY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Pharmaceutical Research Associate with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 12,481,200 JPY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
5,123,800 JPY
2-5 Years +32%
6,791,800 JPY
5-10 Years +34%
9,082,500 JPY
10-15 Years +19%
10,835,000 JPY
15-20 Years +8%
11,688,600 JPY
20+ Years +7%
12,481,200 JPY

Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 7,331,800 JPY.

  • Master's Degree. A Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 11,557,500 JPY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
7,331,800 JPY
Master's Degree +58%
11,557,500 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.

Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 pharmaceutical research associate will earn an average of 8,737,100 JPY, while a female pharmaceutical research associate will earn around 8,352,700 JPY.

This means that a male pharmaceutical research associate earns approximately 5% more than a female pharmaceutical research associate for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Japan

Male
8,737,100 JPY
Female -5%
8,352,700 JPY

Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan is around 11% every 17 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 = ( 11 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% 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%

Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate 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 Pharmaceutical Research Associate

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Pharmaceutical Research Associate in Japan.

Job Title Category Salary
Assistant Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,698,400 JPY
Assistant Pharmacy Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 10,248,600 JPY
Associate Medical Affairs Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 14,519,400 JPY
Bioinformatics Scientist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 12,361,500 JPY
Bioinformatics Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,735,900 JPY
Biological Scientist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 13,441,600 JPY
Biological Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,806,300 JPY
Biomedical Engineer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,567,700 JPY
Biomedical Engineering Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 10,882,800 JPY
Biostatistician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,868,100 JPY
Biotechnologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,554,100 JPY
Biotechnology Lead Data Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,660,500 JPY
Chemical Process Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,818,100 JPY
Clinical Consultant Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,434,700 JPY
Clinical Data Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,675,200 JPY
Clinical Data Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,259,000 JPY
Clinical Informatics Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,371,500 JPY
Clinical Operations Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 12,361,500 JPY
Clinical Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,823,800 JPY
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 10,224,200 JPY
Clinical Programmer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 4,510,700 JPY
Clinical Project Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,259,000 JPY
Clinical Research Associate Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,997,000 JPY
Clinical Research Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 12,361,500 JPY
Clinical Study Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 10,018,700 JPY
Compliance Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 9,060,600 JPY
Cytology Laboratory Technologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,030,600 JPY
Cytotechnologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,407,600 JPY
GCP Auditor Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,464,400 JPY
Hospital Pharmacy Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,035,400 JPY
Manufacturing Engineer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,862,900 JPY
Medical Affairs Director Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 12,721,300 JPY
Medical Representative Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,567,700 JPY
Medical Science Liaison Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 9,466,400 JPY
Molecular and Cellular Biologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 14,038,300 JPY
Nuclear Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,496,400 JPY
Pharmaceutical Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 14,760,200 JPY
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Lead Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 14,880,300 JPY
Pharmaceutical Operations Excellence Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 13,561,900 JPY
Pharmaceutical Process Engineer Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,174,700 JPY
Pharmaceutical Production Assistant Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 9,179,000 JPY
Pharmaceutical Project Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,232,100 JPY
Pharmaceutical Quality Auditor Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 9,082,500 JPY
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Assistant Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,140,500 JPY
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,891,600 JPY
Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs Specialist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 7,236,200 JPY
Pharmaceutical Representative Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,761,400 JPY
Pharmaceutical Research Scientist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 11,998,600 JPY
Pharmaceutical Researcher Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 11,809,800 JPY
Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 10,429,300 JPY
Pharmaceutical Sales Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 11,986,500 JPY
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,518,700 JPY
Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 12,841,200 JPY
Pharmaceutical Team Leader Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 9,073,200 JPY
Pharmaceutical Technologist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 6,539,600 JPY
Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,172,900 JPY
Pharmacy Aide Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,686,100 JPY
Pharmacy Manager Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 11,617,300 JPY
Pharmacy Stock Controller Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 4,654,300 JPY
Pharmacy Technician Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 4,618,200 JPY
Records Management Coordinator Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 4,355,800 JPY
Shift Encapsulator Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 5,053,200 JPY
Staff Pharmacist Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology 8,267,800 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 8,508,800 JPY
Hiroshima 7,246,500 JPY
Kawasaki 7,860,600 JPY
Kobe 8,626,600 JPY
Kyoto 8,316,900 JPY
Nagoya 8,590,400 JPY
Osaka 8,915,100 JPY
Saitama 7,548,300 JPY
Sapporo 8,279,300 JPY
Sendai 7,703,700 JPY
Tokyo 9,586,500 JPY
Yokohama 9,250,100 JPY

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