The Atarashift Blog
Insights for working in Japan
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
The Atarashift Blog
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
B2B sales in Japan has 2.05 openings per job seeker. What sales jobs in Japan pay by type, which visa covers them, and the 2026 language rule.
Sales jobs in Japan are easier to land than most office jobs. In September 2026, Japan's public job offices listed 2.05 B2B sales openings for every B2B sales job seeker. General office work had just 0.30. Full-time business sales staff earned about ¥5.4 million to ¥6.7 million a year, depending on what they sell. The usual visa for office sales is the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa. It generally needs a link between the job and your degree, or work tied to another country.
We analyzed the latest government tables on job openings, pay and visa rules. Here is what they mean if you want a sales career in Japan.
Key Takeaways
- B2B sales (eigyo) had 2.05 openings per job seeker at public job offices in September 2026, against 1.08 for all jobs.
- Full-time IT and machinery sales staff averaged about ¥6.59 million a year, by our calculation from government data.
- Shop-floor retail jobs pay far less, about ¥3.85 million, and usually don't qualify for a work visa.
- The common sales visa needs a link between your studies and the job, or work tied to trade with another country.
- Jobs that mainly use language skills with customers need CEFR B2 level, such as JLPT N2. Since April 2026, category 3 and 4 employers must submit proof.
Looking for roles right now? Browse sales jobs in Japan.
Plenty. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) counts job openings and job seekers at public employment offices every month. For B2B and field sales, the September 2026 figures show 71,528 open positions and 34,908 job seekers. That is a ratio of 2.05 openings per applicant (MHLW, Sept 2026).
That ratio is almost double the all-jobs figure of 1.08 on the same basis. (The headline seasonally adjusted figure was 1.19.) Counting full-time roles only, sales rises to 2.19. In plain terms, employers using these offices are short of salespeople.
Compare that with office work. General office jobs had 0.30 openings per applicant, so there were about three people for every job. If you're choosing between an admin role and a sales role, sales gives you far better odds.
| Job type (Sept 2026) | Openings per applicant |
|---|---|
| B2B and field sales (eigyo) | 2.05 |
| All sales workers | 1.84 |
| Retail and shop sales | 1.71 |
| All jobs | 1.08 |
| Clerical work, total | 0.37 |
| General office work | 0.30 |
Source: MHLW, Employment Referrals for September 2026, table 7-1 (regular jobs including part-time, not seasonally adjusted).
One caution. Demand has cooled a little. The sales ratio was 0.06 points lower than a year earlier. Sales openings were down 7.4% on the year (MHLW). It is still one of the best office fields to target, but it isn't growing right now.
For the wider picture across every field, see our breakdown of the most in-demand jobs in Japan.
Japan's data splits sales into two worlds. Which one you're in shapes both your pay and your visa.
Eigyo (営業) is business sales. It is account work: selling software, machinery, financial products or services to companies and customers. It usually means finding leads, writing proposals, closing deals and looking after clients. Most office-track sales roles for foreigners sit here.
Hanbai (販売) is shop sales. It means serving customers in a store. Pay is lower, and as you'll see below, this work generally does not qualify for a professional work visa.
Within eigyo, the roles foreigners most often fill tend to fall into a few groups:
Many foreigners already work in this part of the economy. At the end of October 2025, 340,687 foreign nationals worked in wholesale and retail. That was 13.3% of all foreign workers in Japan, up 14.2% in a year (MHLW). The count covers every job in the industry, not only sales. Of those workers, 80,732 held the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa.
It depends heavily on what you sell. The table below uses MHLW's 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure for full-time workers. Monthly pay is for June 2025, and the bonus is what was paid in 2024. "Annual pay" is our own calculation: monthly pay including overtime, times 12, plus the bonus.
| Sales job type | Monthly base pay | Monthly pay incl. overtime | Annual bonus | Annual pay (calc.) | Avg. age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial sales | ¥374,900 | ¥425,200 | ¥1,641,800 | ¥6,744,000 | 37.1 |
| Other business sales | ¥399,000 | ¥426,100 | ¥1,493,800 | ¥6,607,000 | 42.4 |
| IT, machinery and telecoms sales | ¥387,900 | ¥425,600 | ¥1,486,800 | ¥6,594,000 | 42.2 |
| Car sales | ¥347,100 | ¥382,400 | ¥1,268,300 | ¥5,857,000 | 39.9 |
| Insurance sales | ¥392,000 | ¥393,800 | ¥680,300 | ¥5,406,000 | 46.8 |
| Sales admin (office support) | ¥327,800 | ¥352,800 | ¥1,017,800 | ¥5,251,000 | 43.3 |
| Shop staff | ¥265,200 | ¥282,000 | ¥463,600 | ¥3,848,000 | 43.6 |
Source: MHLW, 2025 Basic Survey on Wage Structure, occupation table 1 (e-Stat), all firm sizes of 10+ staff, men and women. Annual pay calculated by Atarashift.
For comparison, the average monthly base pay for all full-time workers in 2025 was ¥340,600 (MHLW). All five business sales types sit above that line. Shop staff sit well below it.
Keep two things in mind when you read these numbers.
These are averages for staff in their late 30s and 40s. A new graduate or a mid-career hire changing fields will usually start lower. Treat the table as where a sales career can lead, not as a first offer.
Bonuses make up a big share of pay. In IT and machinery sales, the bonus was about 22% of annual pay. That's why the headline monthly salary on a job ad can look modest. Our guide to the Japan bonus system explains how to read it.
Company size also matters. At firms with 1,000 or more staff, "other sales" paid ¥442,700 a month with a ¥2,098,800 bonus (e-Stat). Some sales jobs also pay commission. Ask how much of the pay is fixed before you say yes.
The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is the usual work visa for office sales. People often call it gijinkoku. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) says it covers work that needs knowledge from fields like economics, law or sociology. It also covers work that needs a way of thinking rooted in a foreign culture (ISA).
There are two ways a sales role can fit.
1. The "humanities" route. Your degree relates to the job. A business, economics or marketing graduate doing account sales is a typical fit. You need a related degree, a diploma from a qualifying Japanese vocational school, or 10 years of related work.
2. The "international services" route. The job itself is cross-border. The rules list work such as overseas trade, PR and advertising, and product development (e-Gov). Export sales or selling to your home market can fit here. This route needs three years of related work experience. The only exception is for university graduates doing translation, interpreting or language teaching.
Either way, your pay must be at least what a Japanese employee would earn for the same job. Allowances that cover costs, like commuting or housing, generally don't count toward that (ISA guideline).
ISA's own example list names marketing staff but not salespeople. So sales is judged case by case. The agency's published approval and refusal cases show where the line falls (ISA):
The pattern is clear. Sales work linked to your studies, or tied to another country, can qualify. Working the shop floor generally doesn't. For the full rules, read our guide to the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa.
For most eigyo roles with Japanese clients, yes. Sales is a language job. English-first roles exist, mainly in IT, SaaS and companies selling overseas.
An ISA language rule may also apply. ISA asks for CEFR B2 level language ability for work that mainly uses language skills to deal with people (ISA). ISA's examples are translation, interpreting and front-desk work. A sales role that is mostly language-based customer work could fall under it. For Japanese, accepted proof includes JLPT N2 or above, or a BJT score of 400 or more. Graduating from a related course at a Japanese university or vocational school also counts.
For applications from 15 April 2026, employers in category 3 or 4 have to submit this proof. Employers in categories 1 and 2 don't have to, but ISA may still ask for it. If you're not sure what that means, see Japan's 4 company categories for work visas.
If the role is selling in English, Chinese or another language, B2 can be shown in that language instead. A native speaker of the language also qualifies. To plan your Japanese study, see what JLPT level you need for a job in Japan.
Start where your background gives you an edge. A clear edge helps: a market, a language or a skill that sets you apart.
When you get an offer, our guide to salary negotiation in Japan can help you ask for more. To see which firms are open to sponsoring, read our list of Japan work visa sponsorship companies.
Yes. In September 2026, B2B and field sales had 2.05 openings for every job seeker at public job offices. The average for all jobs was 1.08. Demand eased slightly over the year but remains well above most office work.
Full-time business sales staff, mostly in their late 30s to 40s, averaged about ¥5.4 million to ¥6.7 million a year, by our calculation. Financial sales paid the most, with other business sales and IT sales close behind. Shop staff averaged about ¥3.85 million.
Often, if your degree relates to the job, or if the job involves trade with another country and you have the experience. Counter and shop-floor sales are generally refused. Pay must also match what a Japanese employee would get.
Some roles allow it, mostly in IT, SaaS and export sales where clients use English. Most sales roles with Japanese customers need business-level Japanese. Jobs that mainly use language skills with customers need CEFR B2 level, and since April 2026 category 3 and 4 employers must submit proof.
It can be. Demand is high, and pay rises with results and company size. The trade-offs are targets, bonus-heavy pay and the need for strong language skills.
Sales is one of the few office fields where Japan has more jobs than people. If that's your path, let employers find you too. Atarashift lets verified companies in Japan that hire internationally come to you. Upload your profile once and get scouted.
Figures were checked on 4 November 2026.
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