An AI engineer position in Tokyo has been confirmed with a total compensation of 13.5 million yen. This package includes 11 million yen in fixed salary, a bonus of 2 million yen, and 0.5 million yen in stock options, as detailed in a recent post.
The new job would involve Python and agentic AI tools. The engineer has nine years of experience and is still interviewing for jobs in Bengaluru. That has left him weighing the Tokyo offer against the possibility of securing a higher package without leaving India. Money is only one part of the calculation described in the post. A move to Tokyo could require her to leave that job and find another opportunity in Japan. The couple does not have children. Japan also has its own tax and employment costs. Salary earners also have taxes and social insurance deductions taken into account when calculating their take-home pay. The actual take-home amount would depend on the his tax status, deductions, social insurance and the structure of the bonus and stock component. Tokyo’s household spending data also shows why the cost-of-living calculation can be important. The amount covers household consumption across categories and is not a measure of the expenses of every foreign professional living in Tokyo. “Do take language barrier into account. The company might be international for sure, you can’t say the same for the society,” he wrote.
The headline compensation therefore does not translate directly into money available to spend each month. He said he believes he could reach a package of Rs 70 lakh or more if he continues his search for a few more months. The National Tax Agency says individual income tax is progressive, with rates ranging from 5% to 45% depending on taxable income. Tokyo Metropolitan Government data for 2025 put average monthly consumption expenditure for households of two or more people at 351,556 yen.
He said the prospective employer is a major e-commerce company with a large international workforce. The engineer is married and said his wife has a good job in India. One user told the engineer to consider the language issue before making a decision.
The post was responded by people who had worked or lived in Japan, along with users who compared the financial and personal sides of the move.
You won’t realise how much compromise you do every minute living in India on the most basic things (air/water, being treated with respect, curroption, traffic, adultrated food, healthcare, the society in which you kids grow in, etc). “A stint in Japan will increase OP’s chances to maybe get a job from one of the dollar/Euro companies. Also, isn’t most of the argument for moving out of India about the Quality of Life? Yes, parts of Japan are congested. Yes, Japan has a tough work culture. Yes, one may face a language issue in Japan. But isn’t it objectively a better society than ours, when it comes to the very basics like civic sense, cleaner atmosphere, functioning bureaucracy, etc.,” the user wrote. I don’t think it is a good offer considering your current pay in India. “I left India even for a lower salary than what I was making and was happier. Now I make much after a couple of years but this was the best decision I ever made. But if these things dont matter to you then for sure stay in India,” he wrote. An AI engineer moving to Japan would also need the appropriate work status. Japan’s Immigration Services Agency lists engineering and other technical roles under the ‘Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services’ status, subject to the applicable requirements. The status can be granted for periods of five years, three years, one year or three months.
“80L in Japan where everything costs 2-4x more vs 60L in India.
Unless you don’t care about money at all and just need to work in Japan for the atmosphere then it would be okay ig,” he said. One more user described moving abroad on a lower salary and said the decision had improved their life.
I’d suggest BLR here. Japan might sound fun but once the initial feeling wears off, it’s very tough to stay there. Me and most of my friends who moved right after bachelor’s moved out.
“Lived in Tokyo, JP for 4 years.
Another user said they had lived in Tokyo for four years and would choose Bengaluru in this situation. It is fun but not career wise in the long run,” he said. Another response took a different view and said international experience could help his career.
