At foreign enterprise technology companies in Japan, strategic account directors now commonly earn ¥25-35 million a year on target, with offers reaching ¥37 million. Country managers sit at ¥40-60 million and above. Solutions engineers, channel managers and technical account managers mostly fall between ¥20 million and ¥30 million. Most packages add ¥3-5 million a year in RSUs on top.
Where these figures come from
This is not a survey. It draws on around 40 data points from our own work in 2026: conversations with candidates about what they earn and what they would move for, and budgets clients have given us for open searches. Almost all relate to US, European and Israeli software and security vendors with a Japan office. Figures are annual, in yen, and on-target earnings (base plus variable at 100% attainment) unless stated. No individual or company is identified.
Pay by role
| Role | Typical range (¥M, OTE) | Top of range seen | Typical base:variable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country Manager / VP Japan | 40-60 | 70 | 60:40 |
| Strategic / enterprise account director | 25-35 | 37 | 50:50 to 60:40 |
| Account executive | 16-25 | 28 | 60:40 |
| Channel and alliances manager | 18-30 | 37 | 60:40 |
| Solutions engineer / architect | 17-26 | 30 | about 70:30 |
| Technical account manager / customer success | 20-25 | 30 | 80:20 to 85:15 |
The ranges are wide for a reason. A first sales hire at a smaller market entrant can be budgeted well below these figures - we have seen a country manager role start at ¥18 million - while an established vendor with a large Japan business pays at the top.
How packages are structured
The split between base and variable follows the role. Account executives and account directors are paid 50:50 or 60:40, with 60:40 the most common. Channel roles sit around 60:40, solutions engineers around 70:30, and customer success roles are mostly base. A strong year changes the picture: one candidate on ¥23 million OTE earned about ¥25 million after reaching 120-130% of quota.
RSUs matter more than they used to. About two-thirds of the candidates we spoke to mentioned them, with ¥3-5 million a year the most common figure. Pre-IPO vendors use them as part of the pitch. Not everyone wants them - one candidate asked for cash instead because of how stock is taxed.
The RSU divide
The market is splitting in two. On one side are people who joined pre-IPO companies at the right time. For them it is not unusual for RSUs to double their total earnings. On the other are people at mature companies, where stock is a smaller, steadier part of the package.
That gap shapes who can be hired. Someone whose RSUs are worth as much as their salary is very hard to move, and harder still to move to a company that has been public for several years, which has no comparable upside to offer. In our experience, those candidates are effectively out of reach for post-IPO employers. They are a distinct pool: experienced operators who understand that the real value sits in the equity, and who choose their next move by which company is likely to catch the next IPO wave.
For hiring companies, the question is which pool you are drawing from. A pre-IPO vendor can compete for these people with equity. A company that has been listed for some years usually does better focusing on candidates whose packages are mostly cash.
What it takes to move someone
Most candidates want to match what they earn now, or add 10-25%. Typical asks we heard: ¥17 million to ¥19-20 million, ¥23 million to ¥28-30 million, ¥32 million to ¥37 million.
The biggest obstacle is not salary but unvested stock. Several candidates with RSUs due to vest within a year, or with stock in a highly valued private company, would lose more by moving than any new offer makes up.
Some will take less. One candidate accepted a cut of around 30% to join an early-stage Japan team, and another was prepared to earn less for better work-life balance. Both were exceptions, and both were moving for something specific.
How pay has moved
Over the past five years, pay for experienced enterprise sellers has moved up steadily. For strategic account director and senior account executive roles, packages above ¥30 million are now common, and the top of the range is approaching ¥40 million. We recently saw an offer of ¥37 million for a role at this level.
What this means for companies hiring in Japan
Fix the budget before the search starts. On one search this year, HR and the hiring manager quoted different figures for the same role within a week, and the gap was large enough to change who we would approach. Candidates at this level know their market value precisely, and an unclear budget costs time with the people you most want.
Account for unvested stock. For many strong candidates the real cost of moving is the RSUs they leave behind. A signing bonus or a replacement grant often decides it.