Cross-country comparison
DES1 (Japan) vs GS-12 (United States)
Japan · 俸給表 (18 salary schedules)
DES1
指定職俸給表 — Designated Senior Executives. Cabinet-level posts: Administrative Vice-Ministers, Agency Heads, senior officials. 8 levels of 号俸.
￥8,832,000 – ￥14,688,000
FY 2026 · annual base · JPY
View full DES1 detail →United States · General Schedule (GS)
GS-12
GS-12 — senior specialist or first-line supervisor in most occupations.
$76,463 – $99,404
FY 2026 · annual base · USD
View full GS-12 detail →How they compare
A DES1 in the Japan federal civil service earns between ￥8,832,000 and ￥14,688,000 per year at base rates, while a GS-12 in the United States federal civil service earns between $76,463 and $99,404. Both figures are annual base in each country’s currency, before locality adjustments, allowances, or bonuses.
Responsibilities at these grades are not directly comparable — each country’s civil service uses its own classification framework. See the linked authoritative sources for role scoping.