Short answer: On Japan’s Highly Skilled Professional points table, annual salary is scored by age band—the same pay often scores higher for younger applicants. For Taiwan and Hong Kong applicants, besides Japanese ability, crossing the next salary band (e.g. from ¥6M toward ¥7–8M) is one of the most effective controllable ways to reach 70 or 80 points.
How are salary points calculated?
The official table awards points by expected annual salary and age band; higher pay scores more, and younger applicants can score well at mid-level salaries. Always use the latest Immigration Services Agency table; at filing or change of status you must prove pay with contracts, payslips or tax records. Research, specialised/technical and business-management categories can differ slightly—use the correct column. See Japan Highly Skilled Professional Visa HSP.
How Taiwan and Hong Kong applicants can raise salary points
- Negotiate at hire — back-calculate which salary band closes your points gap.
- Job change — only helps if the new role stays within an HSP activity type and moves you up a band; a change of status may be required.
- Bonus vs base — points need provable annual compensation structure, not verbal packages.
- Pair with Japanese — N2/N1 bonuses (about 10/15 points) are often faster than the next raise; schedule both.
Salary vs 70 and 80 points
| Goal | Role of salary |
|---|---|
| Just reaching 70 | Often one salary band or N2 |
| Pushing 80 (about 1-year PR track) | Usually salary + Japanese + education stacked |
| Holding the score | A cut or job change can drop a band—recalculate |
Global Immigrate’s recommendation
Run the latest official table into “already provable” vs “achievable in six months.” Do not rely on headline salary alone—use evidence Immigration will accept. Recalculate before any job change so a small raise does not cost you 70 points. For an 80-point target, advance salary and JLPT on one timeline.
Data current as of October 2026. General information only; not legal advice.