Japan is 7th of 8 in the top-hiring list for this role; the one programme we track there is not a listed degree for it.
We do not yet have enough AI / Machine Learning Engineer programme data for Japan to compute a confident payback verdict. Use the payback calculator and predictor below for your specific case.
| Metric | India | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Best option | IISc Bangalore | — |
| Total cost | ₹9.0 L | — |
| Pay (band midpoint) | ₹32.5 L | — |
| Payback | 0.3 yrs | — |
Relevant degrees (our data): MS Computer Science, MS AI, MS Data Science. The one Computer Science & IT programme we track in Japan is not a listed degree, so the cost and payback figures here are a stream-level proxy, not an AI / Machine Learning Engineer course.
| Programme | Fees | Total cost | Payback in this role |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tokyo BSc Information Science · UG, 4 years · QS #32 University of Tokyo overall: Tokyo · 35% admitted · 15% international · IELTS 6.5+ · IB 36+ (PEAK) · PEAK (Sep) UG deadline Dec 1 – Jan 10 · Japan's most prestigious university; strong across all fields | ¥535,800/yr | — | — |
| Top-hiring list (LinkedIn Jobs Report 2025) | 7th of 8; after United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Australia |
|---|---|
| Employers named in Japan | Preferred Networks |
| Demand | demand very high · 32% YoY growth · skill churn high |
| Skills | Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, NLP, LLMs, MLOps |
2026 postings increasingly require MLOps, RAG and LLM fine-tuning skills not present in 2023 listings. Classical-ML-only roles declining.
| Living costs (our data) | Living Costs: ¥80,000 – ¥120,000 / month; the payback model uses ₹8 L a year |
|---|---|
| Post-Study | Designated Activities visa (1 year job search). |
| Visa climate | 1-year activity visa post-grad (2026-03-05) |
MEXT Scholarship (University Recommendation) at University of Tokyo: Full tuition + monthly stipend (~¥145,000) + airfare (all levels).
| City-tier median | ₹22L tier-1 · ₹14L tier-2 · ₹8L tier-3 |
|---|---|
| India salary band | ₹15L–₹50L |
| India in top hiring countries | 8th of 8 |
| Employers named in India | TCS, Infosys AI Labs |
India programmes and payback for this role → · Switching in from another degree →
— for no option, 0.3 yrs for IISc Bangalore MTech (Research) in CSA.
Post-Study: 1 year (1 year job search). Current climate: 1-year activity visa post-grad.
United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Germany · Singapore · Australia