# Japan IT Freelance Rates: Java, Python, C# ― July 12–18, 2026
Introduction
This report presents factual data from the Japanese SES (System Engineering Service) job market for the week of July 12–18, 2026. It covers skill demand distribution, monthly rate ranges, and remote work availability across 20 tracked skills. The data is intended for IT freelancers, independent contractors, and staffing professionals seeking an accurate, up-to-date picture of the domestic SES market. All rate figures are expressed in units of ¥10,000 per month. Demand share percentages reflect each skill's proportion of total job postings captured during the observation period. No forecasts or recommendations are included; this report presents observed figures only.
Market Overview
Java maintained the dominant position in the SES job market during the week of July 12–18, 2026, accounting for 27.5% of all job postings — more than double the share of the second-ranked skill. Python followed at 11.0%, with C# at 7.3%. プロジェクトマネジメント (Project Management) and PHP were tied at 6.4% each, while COBOL and C each held 5.5%. The remaining skills — including RHEL, GCP, intra-mart, PM, Cisco, and others — each represented 3.7% or below, with several clustered at 1.8%.
Monthly rate ranges across the tracked skills varied considerably. At the higher end, ネットワークインフラ (Network Infrastructure) posted a fixed rate of ¥1,650,000 per month, and GCP listings clustered between ¥1,350,000 and ¥1,400,000. Cisco showed a broad range from ¥800,000 to ¥1,900,000, reflecting significant variation within that skill category. By contrast, languages such as PHP, VC++, and SQL fell at the lower end of the rate spectrum, with maximum rates of ¥880,000, ¥700,000, and ¥600,000 respectively. Java's maximum rate reached ¥2,100,000, the highest ceiling recorded across all skills in this period, though its minimum of ¥500,000 indicates a wide spread tied to role and experience level.
Remote work availability showed notable variation by skill. Several skills — including C#, RHEL, GCP, Cisco, intra-mart, C, Vue.js, SQL, and VC++ — recorded a remote ratio of 0%, meaning none of the observed postings for those skills included remote work options. In contrast, ネットワーク (Network), Windows Server 2025, SharePoint, and QA each recorded a 100% remote ratio. プロジェクトマネジメント registered the highest remote ratio among the higher-demand skills at 71%, followed by COBOL at 67% and PM at 67%. Java reached 53% and Python 58%, placing both above the midpoint for remote availability.
Skill Demand & Rate Rankings
| Skill | Demand Share (%) | Monthly Rate Range (¥10k/mo) | Remote Ratio (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java | 27.5 | ¥50 – ¥210 | 53% |
| Python | 11.0 | ¥50 – ¥95 | 58% |
| C# | 7.3 | ¥50 – ¥80 | 0% |
| プロジェクトマネジメント | 6.4 | – / max ¥130 | 71% |
| PHP | 6.4 | ¥50 – ¥88 | 14% |
| COBOL | 5.5 | ¥70 – ¥75 | 67% |
| C | 5.5 | N/A | 0% |
| RHEL | 3.7 | ¥75 – ¥85 | 0% |
| GCP | 3.7 | ¥135 – ¥140 | 0% |
| intra-mart | 2.8 | N/A | 0% |
Detailed Skill Analysis
Java recorded the highest demand share at 27.5% of all postings. Its monthly rate ranged from ¥500,000 to ¥2,100,000, with an average of ¥760,000, reflecting a wide spectrum of roles from entry-level development to senior architecture. The remote ratio stood at 53%, indicating that roughly half of Java postings offered remote work options.
Python held 11.0% of postings, the second-largest share. Monthly rates ranged from ¥500,000 to ¥950,000, with an average of ¥750,000 — a relatively narrow band compared to Java. The remote ratio for Python was 58%, the highest among the top three languages.
C# accounted for 7.3% of postings, placing it third overall. Rates ranged from ¥500,000 to ¥800,000, with an average of ¥720,000. Notably, C# posted a remote ratio of 0%, meaning all observed postings for this skill required on-site attendance.
プロジェクトマネジメント (Project Management) tied with PHP at 6.4% of postings. Average and minimum rate data were not available, but the maximum rate reached ¥1,300,000. This skill recorded the highest remote ratio among the top-demand skills at 71%.
PHP shared the 6.4% demand mark with Project Management. Its rate range ran from ¥500,000 to ¥880,000, with an average of ¥650,000. The remote ratio was notably low at 14%, with the large majority of postings requiring in-person work.
COBOL accounted for 5.5% of postings, with a narrow rate range of ¥700,000 to ¥750,000 and an average of ¥700,000. The remote ratio for COBOL was 67%, placing it among the higher remote-availability skills in this dataset.
C matched COBOL at 5.5% of postings. However, no rate data — minimum, average, or maximum — was available for C in this observation period. The remote ratio was 0%, indicating all observed C postings required on-site presence.
GCP held a 3.7% demand share alongside RHEL. GCP rates were tightly clustered between ¥1,350,000 and ¥1,400,000 (average ¥1,350,000), the highest average rate of any skill with available pricing data in this period. The remote ratio for GCP was 0%.
Remote Work Availability
Skills in this period divided sharply between those with full remote availability and those with none at all.
100% remote ratio: ネットワーク (Network), Windows Server 2025, SharePoint, and QA all recorded a remote ratio of 1.0 (100%). Each of these skills held a 1.8% demand share.
High remote ratio (above 50%): プロジェクトマネジメント led at 71%, followed by COBOL and PM at 67% each. Python recorded 58%, Java 53%.
Low or partial remote ratio: PHP was the only skill in a partial range, at 14%. All other skills with available data — C#, RHEL, GCP, Cisco, intra-mart, C, Vue.js, SQL, and VC++ — recorded a remote ratio of 0%, meaning no remote options were observed in their postings during this period.
About This Report
This report is based on SES job posting data collected by Skill Trend during the week of July 12–18, 2026. Data points include skill-level demand share as a percentage of total postings, monthly rate ranges (minimum, average, and maximum), and remote work availability ratios. All rate figures are denominated in units of ¥10,000 per month. Skills for which rate data was unavailable are noted as "N/A" or "–" in tables. The dataset covers 20 distinct skills observed across SES listings in the Japanese domestic IT staffing market during the specified period.
