How Much Do Psychiatrists Earn in Japan? 2025 Physician Income Data
Psychiatrists in Japan reported a median annual income of ¥17 million (approximately £82,000) 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 psychiatrists assessing their professional earnings in Japan.
Among the psychiatry respondents:
Median annual income: ¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
Proportion earning ¥20 million or more: 37.04%
¥20 million threshold: approximately £96,000
Psychiatry respondents: 162
Importantly, these figures include income from a psychiatrist’s main workplace as well as additional or side work.
For psychiatrists looking at their own compensation, that distinction is essential.
What is the median income for a psychiatrist in Japan?
The reported median annual income for psychiatrists was:
¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
This represents total annual professional income including side work, rather than simply the salary paid by a psychiatrist’s principal hospital, clinic or other employer.
That matters because physicians in Japan may receive income from more than one professional role.
A psychiatrist may have a primary position while also undertaking additional clinical sessions or other paid medical work.
The ¥17 million figure is therefore best understood as a benchmark for total annual professional earnings.
It should not be interpreted as an expected base salary.
37.04% of psychiatrists reported earning ¥20 million or more
The survey provides another useful benchmark for psychiatrists.
37.04% of psychiatry respondents reported annual income of ¥20 million or more (approximately £96,000+).
That means more than one in three psychiatrists included in the survey reported total annual professional earnings at or above this level.
For a psychiatrist assessing their own compensation, the two central figures are therefore:
Median annual income: ¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
Earning ¥20 million+ (approximately £96,000+): 37.04%
Together, these provide a useful indication of the income levels reported within psychiatry.
Why does side work matter for psychiatrist 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 psychiatrists, this means that salary from the principal employer may not represent total annual earnings.
A psychiatrist whose main salary is below ¥17 million could still reach or exceed the reported benchmark when supplementary clinical income is included.
Equally, the data should not be interpreted as showing that psychiatrists should expect a ¥17 million basic salary from a single employer.
The figure represents a broader measure of total professional income.
What does the ¥17 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 ¥17 million (approximately £82,000) 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 psychiatrist reviewing their own income, the data are most useful as a broad reference point for total annual professional earnings.
How strong is the psychiatry sample?
The wider survey included 2,055 physicians, with 162 respondents in psychiatry.
That gives psychiatry one of the more substantial specialty-specific samples within the dataset.
It still remains survey evidence rather than a national census of all psychiatrists working in Japan.
Actual earnings can vary depending on factors such as:
career stage;
seniority;
employer;
hospital, clinic or other practice setting;
working hours;
geographic location;
additional clinical commitments; and
the amount of side work undertaken.
For psychiatrists, the findings should therefore be used as a current compensation benchmark rather than a guaranteed level of income.
Is ¥17 million a psychiatrist salary?
No.
The clearest interpretation is:
¥17 million is the reported median total annual professional income for the psychiatrists surveyed, including side work.
It is not a published base salary.
For a psychiatrist 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 psychiatrists take from the latest data?
For psychiatrists in Japan, the 2025 survey provides two particularly useful compensation benchmarks.
Median annual professional income, including side work, was:
¥17 million (approximately £82,000)
And:
37.04% of psychiatrists reported earning ¥20 million or more (approximately £96,000+).
For an individual psychiatrist, 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 psychiatrists, the more useful question is therefore not simply:
“What is a psychiatrist’s salary in Japan?”
It is:
“What is my total annual professional income as a psychiatrist, including additional clinical work, and how does it compare with the ¥17 million benchmark?”
That is the most meaningful way to use the available psychiatry 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 11 September 2026. At that rate, ¥17 million is approximately £82,000 and ¥20 million approximately £96,000. GBP figures are included for reader context only and were not reported by the original Japanese survey.
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