WWII: Japan military wages by rank 1944

In the Second World War, Japanese military wages were considered low in comparison to U.S. or European wages. A Japanese Army general received a basic pay of 550 yen per month (or roughly 126.5 U.S. dollars), whereas the lowest class of private received just six* yen per month (or 1.38 U.S. dollars). The source notes, however, that living costs were lower in Japan, and that additional pay was available for service personnel based on factors such as location, length of service, and specialized roles.

Basic monthly wage rates in the Japanese Army during the Second World War in 1944 (in Japanese yen)

Rank	Basic monthly wage in Japanese yen
General	550
Lieutenant general	483.33
Major general	416.66
Colonel*	340
Lieutenant colonel*	265
Major*	195
Captain*	138.5
Warrant officer*	95
First lieutenant*	89.58
Second lieutenant	70.83
Sergeant major*	53.5
Probation officer	32.5
Sergeant*	26.5
Corporal	20
Lance corporal	13.5
Superior private	10.5
First class private	9
Second class private*	7.5

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Release date

September 2022

More information

Region

Japan

Survey time period

1941 to 1944

Supplementary notes

*For display purposes, middle values have been given in cases where a range of wages was given. Ranks with multiple classes and their wage ranges are as follows:
Colonel: 310 - 370 yen (three pay classes)
Lieutenant colonel: 220 - 310 yen (four pay classes)
Major: 170 - 220 yen (four pay classes)
Captain: 122 - 155 yen (three pay classes)
First lieutenant: 85 - 94.16 yen (two pay classes)
Warrant officer: 80-110 yen (four pay classes)
Sergeant major: 32 - 75 yen (four pay classes)
Sergeant: 23 - 30 yen (three pay classes)
Second-class private: 6 - 9 yen (Grades B and A respectively)

The source notes that one yen was equal to approximately 0.23 U.S. dollars (or 14 pre-decimal British pence) before December 7, 1941.

Release data is date of most recent online access. Original date of publication: September 15, 1944.