A ¥375,000 salary announcement contains another number

On October 13, 2026, Japanese staffing and services group Leverages announced that starting pay for selected graduates entering in April 2027 would rise from ¥350,000 to ¥375,000 per month. The revised amount applies to sales, planning, marketing and consulting roles. A ¥375,000 opening salary sounds compelling when candidates compare job offers.

But the company's official pay table includes ¥148,600 as a fixed overtime allowance corresponding to 80 hours per month. The allowance represents about 39.6% of the announced monthly amount. Subtracting it produces an arithmetic remainder of ¥226,400.

That subtraction does not prove ¥226,400 is the exact base salary: other allowances and contract details need to be reviewed before assigning a particular legal or payroll classification. The first question for an applicant is not whether the headline figure is impressive, but what each component is intended to pay for.

The 80-hour allowance was already present years earlier

The 2026 announcement was not the first time Leverages used an 80-hour fixed overtime allowance in graduate offers. A September 8, 2023 company release raised pay for the 2025 graduate intake from ¥280,000 to ¥350,000 and explicitly included ¥137,780 for 80 hours of fixed overtime.

Comparing the two published cohort terms shows monthly headline pay rising by ¥25,000, with the fixed overtime allowance rising by ¥10,820. The difference remaining after deducting the allowances rises by ¥14,180. These are straightforward comparisons between public recruiting figures.

They are not a record of how a particular employee's salary increased over time. Nor should the 2026 news be characterized as a newly introduced 80-hour requirement. The workforce and recruiting conditions for the two graduate classes are separate.

Does '80 hours' mean people actually work 80 hours of overtime?

Japan's fixed overtime arrangement pays a defined amount corresponding to a specified quantity of overtime or other premium-pay work in advance. A stated allowance based on 80 hours does not establish that employees actually work 80 overtime hours each month. Equally, it is not legal permission to require 80 hours simply because the allowance is in the salary.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare describes ordinary legal overtime limits of 45 hours per month and 360 hours per year. Even when exceptional temporary circumstances and labor-management agreements apply, separate limits such as 720 hours a year and an 80-hour multi-month average including holiday work still apply. An allowance calculation and legal limits on actual working time are different concepts.

Applicants who want to know what the work will be like should ask about actual overtime in their prospective department, working schedules at busy times, the hours covered by the allowance and how any additional premium pay is calculated. Neither an allegation of illegal work nor a claim about real hours can be inferred from the allowance label alone.

The ¥5 million annual-income illustration is conditional

Leverages also illustrates annual income starting at ¥5 million. Its own disclosure explains that the example assumes eligibility for a neighborhood or housing-proximity allowance and includes a standard performance bonus and applicable benefits. Actual payment varies with performance evaluation and whether the candidate meets those conditions.

Multiplying the monthly starting figure of ¥375,000 by 12 yields ¥4.5 million. The ¥500,000 difference from the ¥5 million illustration should not be treated as a guaranteed flat annual bonus paid to everyone. The assumptions behind the estimated annual package vary by individual.

The company also describes a ¥350,000 first-year living support payment alongside performance bonuses, scheduled as a one-time payment in December 2027. Money received only in the first year should be distinguished from recurring pay when planning housing, saving and future living expenses.

On the same day, Sanwa Construction raised starting pay to ¥300,000

Another October 13 announcement came from Osaka-based general contractor Sanwa Construction. For new graduates joining in April 2027, the monthly starting salary will increase from ¥250,000 to ¥300,000, a ¥50,000 or 20% increase.

Sanwa also said approximately 160 existing employees would receive a base-pay adjustment starting in October 2026. The press release describes the average pay adjustment as 112% of the previous level, or about a 12% increase. This should not be read as a guarantee that every individual's total annual compensation grows by 12%.

The company's more distinctive change is to convert part of its previously variable bonus payments into regular base pay. It describes the aim as making monthly income more stable amid higher living costs. The release does not provide enough detail to calculate an identical change in total annual compensation for every existing employee.

Which is better: ¥375,000 with an allowance or ¥300,000 with more base pay?

The two figures differ by ¥75,000 on their face. But they do not describe identical work. Leverages' offer covers several staffing, commercial and consulting positions; Sanwa Construction operates in the construction industry. Hours, job duties, location, bonuses and allowances need not match.

It would be as misleading to claim the ¥375,000 offer is automatically superior as it would be to subtract Leverages' fixed allowance and declare the ¥300,000 offer better. Sanwa's press release does not fully break down every component of the ¥300,000 salary, and Leverages' published allowance calculation does not reveal each recipient's actual hours.

To compare responsibly, line up base pay excluding fixed overtime, pay for additional overtime, typical hours, performance-bonus rules, commuting and location allowances, leave arrangements and the final contract. The best fit for a particular person may depend on both take-home resources and time outside work.

The offer letter and written working conditions matter more than a headline

Japan's labor ministry explains that recruitment information involving fixed overtime should clearly distinguish base pay without the allowance, the hours and amount used to calculate it, and the obligation to pay additional premiums for qualifying overtime, holiday or late-night work beyond the included amount.

Candidates can ask precise questions: What is the base salary excluding fixed overtime? Which hours and premium-pay categories are covered? What happens if actual premium pay exceeds the fixed amount? How do bonuses and neighborhood benefits work? These are ordinary questions about pay, not accusations against an employer.

Before accepting a position, the applicant should confirm the terms in the written notification of working conditions or equivalent employment documents. The public recruiting estimate is one piece of information; the specific offer made to a person is another.

BANSEOG VIEW | The missing dimensions are working time and pay certainty

These two announcements illustrate different approaches to increasing advertised pay. Leverages increased a graduate monthly salary that already incorporated fixed overtime. Sanwa Construction lifted its entry pay and described moving some previously variable bonus compensation into a steadier monthly base.

Neither announcement establishes which employer offers a better working environment, whether any law has been breached, or how much a particular hire will work. Such judgments would require actual role-level terms, workplace hours, bonus outcomes and eligibility rules. An evidence-based comparison must stay within what the companies have disclosed.

For a job seeker, three questions matter more than a single advertised figure: What amount is predictable each month? What working time is expected? Which payments change with performance, location or tenure? A high opening salary is useful information, but it is only the starting point of a compensation decision.

BANSEOG VIEW

Banseog View — Headline pay, working time and payment certainty differ

Leverages' ¥375,000 monthly figure includes ¥148,600 for 80 hours of fixed overtime. The ¥226,400 remainder is arithmetic, not independently verified base salary net of every other allowance. Eighty hours of allowance coverage does not prove eighty hours of actual overtime.

The 80-hour allowance was already part of the 2025 graduate offer published in 2023 at ¥137,780 within ¥350,000. The illustrated ¥5m annual income in 2026 depends on standard performance bonus and eligibility for proximity-related benefits; it is not a guaranteed salary for every recipient.

Sanwa Construction is moving from ¥250K to ¥300K for 2027 graduate intake and increasing base pay for around 160 existing employees to an average 112% of previous levels, partly by moving bonus compensation into base pay. The same headline figure across two unlike industries cannot establish which package is better.

SOURCES

Primary sources and references

Prepared October 14, 2026. Leverages' October 13 release covers sales, planning, marketing and consulting for April 2027 hires: monthly salary ¥350K→¥375K including ¥148,600 for 80 hours of fixed overtime. ¥226,400 is a mathematical remainder, not conclusive legal base pay. The Sept. 8, 2023 release for 2025 graduates already included ¥137,780 fixed overtime in a ¥350K monthly salary. The ¥5m illustrated income includes typical performance bonus and eligibility-dependent proximity benefits; first-year ¥350K support is scheduled only for December 2027. Sanwa Construction's Oct. 13 release covers ¥250K→¥300K for 2027 graduate entrants, 160 incumbent staff on average to 112% of prior base pay, and partial conversion of variable bonuses into fixed pay. Public records do not establish actual overtime hours, unlawful employment, a common total-annual-pay improvement rate or employer-to-employer superiority. Applicant comparison questions are Banseog's interpretation.