A look at pocket money for teens in Japan

If you're living in Japan as an expat family (or simply curious about what local teens receive as pocket money) a new survey by Recruit's "Study Sapuri Career" gave an interesting glimpse into the financial habits of Japanese high schoolers and their parents.

According to the 2025 Pocket Money Survey, the average monthly allowance for high school students in Japan is 5,415 yen (about 36 US Dollars), which is the highest it's been in the past three years. This marks a continuing increase after a dip in 2023, showing that parents are once again slightly more generous...or at least keeping up with inflation.

About half of Japanese parents say they know how their children spend their pocket money, and that's usually done through simple, informal conversations. Only a small number check receipts or monitor cashless payment histories, so it seems that most parents expect their teens to handle money responsibly.

Interestingly, nearly 77% of parents want their children to learn more about money management, with top priorities being budgeting (balancing income and expenses) and trying out annual planning by giving teens their entire year's allowance plus gift money like otoshidama in a lump sum to manage themselves. Some parents are also encouraging small investments, reflecting the push to introduce asset building education in schools.

If you're a parent, do you have an allowance/pocket money system for your kids? Is the average monthly amount fairly similar to what you give your children?