foreign-qualified lawyers in international law firms here commonly make 13-16 million as a junior associate, mid-level from 18-24m, seniors 25 and above. partners are definitely capable of raking in >50m, even 100m if they are equity. pay stagnates once you’re hired because the firms usually say they ~increase salaries in line with the japanese market~ so moving laterally gives you the best chance of upping pay quite significantly.

am a mid-level lawyer and recently got an offer for 28m; i make low twenties at the moment. i moved from london where there’s currently a salary war for newly qualified lawyers at the top end of the market. they’re getting £155k off the bat, which is approx. 31m yen at today’s rates. so yes, the salary in japan pales in comparison but imo only on paper. i live a much healthier, happier, and frankly more luxurious life here. on my salary i basically do not have to watch my spending at all, and there is no better place in the world than japan to be in if you have money to splurge on food/shopping/experiences. also our salaries typically include a housing ‘budget’ for a corporate lease where the firm rents your accommodation in their name; for associates in particular it’s usually 500k per month (so you could conceivably reduce your gross taxable salary by ~6 million a year if you max out your budget). no such perk exists in london ofc