Global IT talent war sends Japan tech salaries soaring

Dec 12, 2018 | News On Japan

Dec 12, 2018 (Nikkei) - As the global shortage of skilled information technology experts hits Japan hard, companies are scrambling to lure and keep top talent with hefty annual pay packages.

IT company NTT Data announced on Dec. 4 a new performance-based pay system aimed at attracting high flyers in the fields of artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

Keiichiro Yanagi, NTT Data's senior executive vice president, indicated that annual salaries will likely range between 20 million and 30 million yen ($177,300 and $266,000), putting them on par with those of its top executives and similarly qualified employees at overseas companies.

There will be no upper limit on the performance-linked component of the pay package, so annual salaries could conceivably exceed 30 million yen. The company's average salary is about 8.2 million yen.

Japanese chat app provider Line is also upping its offers to skilled young IT prospects, promising between 10 million and 20 million yen annually. E-commerce platform Zozo announced a plan in April to pay its tech wizards up to an eye-watering 100 million yen a year.

Sectors other than technology are also in the hunt for talent. Fast Retailing, operator of casualwear retailer Uniqlo, is hiring more IT staff to upgrade its logistics and demand-forecast systems, even looking to Silicon Valley and other overseas locations to find engineers. A recent posting on a jobs website by the company advertised salaries of up to 20 million yen for IT staff, far above those extended to job seekers in its other departments.

Fast Retailing, operator of Uniqlo, whose office is shown above, is offering annual salaries of up to 20 million yen for IT staff.

By 2020, Japan will face a shortage of about 48,000 engineers in areas like artificial intelligence and internet of things, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The shortage is so acute that in 2016, Toyota Motor set up an AI-focused subsidiary in the U.S. James Kuffner, former head of Google's robotics division, was among a number of renowned researchers who joined the company, which now employs about 300 people.

Record Rain Triggers Level 5 Warning in Fukui

Record rainfall caused 19 rivers to overflow across Fukui Prefecture, flooding roads and homes, triggering landslides and temporarily forcing authorities to issue the highest-level heavy rain emergency warning from early Sunday morning.

Drones Deliver Supplies to Residents Cut Off by Landslide

Drones were used to deliver food and daily necessities to an isolated mountain community in Himi City, Toyama Prefecture, on August 30 after torrential rain triggered a landslide that cut off road access, while volunteers continued flood recovery work in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture.

Typhoon No. 23 Overtakes No. 22 East of Japan as Both Head North

Two typhoons east of Japan were moving northward on August 30, with Typhoon No. 23 (Banlan) overtaking Typhoon No. 22 (Artau), although neither storm is expected to have a direct impact on Japan.

Nine-Minute Drone Video Shows Scale of Aeon Mall Damage

A 9-minute, 13-second drone video filmed inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto two days after the deadly explosion has provided a detailed view of the destruction, showing collapsed ceilings, heavy dust and widespread damage that may have affected between one-third and nearly half of the shopping center.

Conditions Ease as Typhoon No. 18 Passes Okinawa

Strong Typhoon No. 18 was moving northwest through the East China Sea on the night of August 26, gradually pulling away from Okinawa and the Amami Islands as lingering rain, strong winds and high waves were expected to ease. As of 9 p.m. on August 26, the typhoon was over waters north-northwest of Kume Island and moving northwest.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Three Students Swept Out to Sea in Kagoshima

Three teenage boys who went missing after being swept offshore from the coast of Ichikikushikino, Kagoshima Prefecture, on August 28 were found in the sea near the scene on August 29 and confirmed dead.

Foreign Cyclist Suffers Broken Shoulder in Shiga Hit-and-Run

A foreign man in his 30s suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car while riding a bicycle in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, early on August 29, with police investigating the incident as a hit-and-run.

Bread Dumping Mystery Takes a Twist

A fake video apparently created with generative AI showing a large bear eating piles of sliced bread has spread on social media following a series of illegal bread dumping incidents in Tottori Prefecture, prompting the prefectural government to warn that misinformation could cause economic harm.

Teens Arrested for Spraying Fire Extinguishers at Police Station

Three youths, including a high school student and a junior high school student, have been arrested on suspicion of obstructing police duties after allegedly stealing fire extinguishers and spraying them toward a police station in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture.

Avant-Garde Artist Yayoi Kusama Dies at 97

Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese avant-garde artist whose obsessive dots, nets, pumpkins and mirrored rooms grew from intensely personal visions into some of the most recognizable images in contemporary art, died at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14, 2026, at the age of 97. Her death was announced on August 27 by companies representing the artist, which said she continued painting until her final days.

Bus Driver Crashes While Shooing Away Mosquito

A Toei bus crashed into a traffic signal in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on the morning of August 26 after the driver lost control of the steering wheel while trying to shoo away a mosquito, leaving two male passengers injured.

Don't Touch Paramedics' Shoes! Kanazawa Warns

Kanazawa's fire department is asking residents not to straighten or rearrange shoes removed by paramedics during emergency calls, warning that the well-intentioned gesture can delay the transport of patients by around 30 seconds and potentially interfere with medical care.

Luxury Watch Theft Carried Out in 10 Seconds

Two men who stole four luxury watches worth a combined 200 million yen from a store at Tokyo's Nakano Broadway may have carefully planned the 10-second theft, with one suspect renting an electric kick scooter shortly before the crime and investigators examining whether the other man's escape on foot was intended as a decoy.

< 2 3 4 5 >