According to statistics released by the National Tax Agency in 2025, the number of people with income over 100 million yen has become 38,000. The number has doubled in the past 10 years.
Looking at the income ranges, there are 25,000 people with incomes between 100 million and 200 million yen, 9,000 people with incomes between 200 million and 500 million yen, and 4,000 people with incomes above 500 million yen.
One reason for the increase is the recent rise in stock and real estate prices. High-income earners have a higher proportion of "capital gains" from the buying and selling of stocks and real estate, in addition to salary and business income. It appears that the amount earned from assets has grown more significantly than the amount earned from working.
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASTDZ1JPVTDZULFA01WM.html?iref=comtop_Business_02
5 Comments
That number will probably rise further, as many Japanese now invest overseas. So if dividends, interest payments and capital gains are converted from EUR, USD GBP to JPY, then these individuals will realize higher returns in JPY. Abenomics is a disaster for the average Japanese, but rich people can profit handsomely if they invest accordingly.
I bet the masterminds behind the hikes in rice price is right at the top of the list.
High-income and wealthy are not the same thing. One of the best things about Japan has always been that it felt like we were living in the same world. Same trains. Same shops. Same life, just different cushions.
Lately, we’re mistaking big numbers for freedom. A high income here often isn’t wealth; it’s obligation. Miss a year and it’s gone. Change roles and the lifestyle collapses. Wealth is quieter. It’s the ability to say no without panic. Time that actually belongs to you. Optionality measured in years, not months. Assets that work while you sleep. A life that doesn’t fall apart if one pillar disappears.Â
The problem starts when money exists but movement doesn’t. Positions harden. Entrances close. Remember when income rises without mobility, all you get is a nicer cage, and resentment aimed in the wrong direction.
Just FYI according to the article, about half (or more) of these are from Real Estate sales and Stock sales due to appreciation of such assets. Less than half are from salary or income.
I’m on that 100 million list thanks to property sale and stocks. I started in Japan as an English teacher about 25 years ago. I harp on everybody I know….I don’t care how little you make, you must invest in the stock market that’s the bottom line. 1000 yen, 5000, 10000 yen a month. Whatever it is you HAVE TO START! The younger you are the longer it compounds the better off you will be.