How Much Do Geriatricians Earn in Japan? 2025 Physician Income Data
Geriatric medicine physicians in Japan reported a median annual income of ¥15 million (approximately £72,000) in the latest specialty-level physician income survey from the Physician Career Research Institute.
The 2025 survey, based on responses from 2,055 physicians overall, provides a useful benchmark for geriatricians assessing their professional earnings in Japan.
Among the Geriatric Medicine respondents:
Median annual income: ¥15 million (approximately £72,000)
Proportion earning ¥20 million or more: 21.74%
¥20 million threshold: approximately £96,000
Geriatric Medicine respondents: 23
Importantly, these figures include income from a geriatrician’s main workplace as well as additional or side work.
For geriatricians looking at their own compensation, that distinction is essential.
What is the median income for a geriatrician in Japan?
The reported median annual income for geriatric medicine physicians was:
¥15 million (approximately £72,000)
This represents total annual professional income including side work, rather than simply the salary paid by a geriatrician’s principal hospital, clinic or other employer.
That matters because physicians in Japan may receive income from more than one professional role.
A geriatrician may hold a primary position while also undertaking additional clinical sessions or other paid medical work.
The ¥15 million figure is therefore best understood as a benchmark for total annual professional earnings.
It should not be interpreted as an expected base salary.
21.74% of geriatricians reported earning ¥20 million or more
The survey provides another useful benchmark for geriatric medicine physicians.
21.74% of Geriatric Medicine respondents reported annual income of ¥20 million or more (approximately £96,000+).
That means just over one in five geriatricians included in the survey reported total annual professional earnings at or above this level.
For a geriatrician assessing their own compensation, the two central figures are therefore:
Median annual income: ¥15 million (approximately £72,000)
Earning ¥20 million+ (approximately £96,000+): 21.74%
Together, these figures provide a useful indication of the income levels reported within Geriatric Medicine.
Why does side work matter for geriatrician income?
Additional professional work can form an important part of physician earnings in Japan.
Doctors may undertake paid work outside their main position, including sessions at other hospitals or clinics and other secondary medical activity.
The Physician Career Research Institute therefore reports annual income including side work.
For geriatricians, this means that salary from the principal employer may not represent total annual earnings.
A geriatrician whose main salary is below ¥15 million could still reach or exceed the survey benchmark when supplementary professional income is included.
Equally, the survey should not be interpreted as showing that geriatricians should expect a ¥15 million basic salary from a single employer.
The figure represents a broader measure of total professional income.
What does the ¥15 million median actually mean?
There is an important methodological point behind the headline figure.
Survey participants reported income in ranges rather than providing an exact annual amount.
The reported median of ¥15 million (approximately £72,000) therefore represents the midpoint of the relevant income band.
It should be treated as an approximate compensation benchmark rather than a precise mathematical median calculated from exact salary records.
For a geriatrician reviewing their own income, the figure is most useful as a broad reference point for total annual professional earnings.
How strong is the Geriatric Medicine sample?
The wider survey included 2,055 physicians, with 23 respondents in Geriatric Medicine.
That is an important limitation.
The research only published specialty-level figures for groups with at least 15 respondents, so Geriatric Medicine met the threshold for inclusion.
However, 23 physicians remain a relatively small sample.
The findings should therefore be treated as a useful specialty benchmark rather than a definitive national estimate for every geriatrician working in Japan.
Actual earnings may vary depending on factors such as:
career stage;
seniority;
employer;
hospital or clinic setting;
working hours;
geographic location;
additional clinical commitments; and
the amount of side work undertaken.
Is ¥15 million a geriatrician salary?
No.
The clearest interpretation is:
¥15 million is the reported median total annual professional income for the geriatricians surveyed, including side work.
It is not a published base salary.
For a geriatrician considering a new role or assessing existing compensation, it can therefore be useful to distinguish between:
guaranteed income from the principal employer;
additional paid clinical sessions;
other professional income; and
total annual earnings.
The survey benchmark relates most closely to that final figure.
What should geriatricians take from the latest data?
For geriatricians in Japan, the 2025 survey provides two particularly useful compensation benchmarks.
Median annual professional income, including side work, was:
¥15 million (approximately £72,000)
And:
21.74% of geriatricians reported earning ¥20 million or more (approximately £96,000+).
For an individual geriatrician, these figures provide a useful reference point when considering total annual professional earnings.
The important point is to compare like with like.
A salary from a single hospital or clinic should not be compared directly with a survey figure that incorporates additional professional work.
For geriatricians, the more useful question is therefore not simply:
“What is a geriatrician’s salary in Japan?”
It is:
“What is my total annual professional income as a geriatrician, including additional clinical work, and how does it compare with the ¥15 million benchmark?”
That is the most meaningful way to use the available Geriatric Medicine compensation data.
Source: Physician Career Research Institute / Mediwel, 2025 Physician Income Survey.
Currency note: Sterling equivalents are approximate conversions using the JPY/GBP exchange rate on 14 September 2026. At that rate, ¥15 million is approximately £72,000 and ¥20 million approximately £96,000. GBP figures are included for reader context only and were not reported by the original Japanese survey.
Discover how nuaxia can support your next medical education initiative:
Find out more about our specialist services - Moore's Outcome Assessments, Educational Needs Assessments and Patient Impact Studies for the Medical Education sector
Contact us on: support@nuaxia.com
Comments