React in Japan – Language Guide

React, or React.js, is the immensely popular JavaScript framework released in 2013 that has since taken up the world of front-end development by storm. 

Created by the then-Facebook-now-Meta employee Jordan Walke, the React library was made open-source shortly after its conception and has quickly spread like wildfire. 

Today, companies all over the world rely on the React framework to streamline their website and app development processes, but how are things in Japan? 

Let’s take a deep dive into Japan’s IT industry and find out how much companies in Japan favor the renowned framework. I’ll explain how commonly React is used and how businesses utilize the popular JavaScript library. I’ll also talk about the median React salaries in Japan and offer tips on how to score a React job.

Let’s begin with our analysis of React’s popularity in Japan.

The Popularity of React Framework in Japan

As I mentioned, React was welcomed warmly within the global software community, and Japan is no exception. The popular JavaScript library has made its way into countless businesses’ hearts and is now utilized commercially in various ways in Japan’s tech industry. 

To see how React ranks as a sought-after skill among companies, we analyzed the data collected from companies featured on the Japan Dev job board. Then, we created a list of Japan's most popular programming languages and frameworks that frequently appear on our platform’s listings. 

According to our results, React is the most popular front-end JavaScript framework and ranks as the 11th most popular language/framework overall among companies in Japan. 

Here’s our full list:

Confirming React’s wild popularity, our research didn’t yield any results suggesting that it’s more popular in certain companies than others. React seems to be just as popular among young startups (which Japan has plenty of, as I explained in my startups in Japan post) as it is with established, medium-to-large-scale tech companies.

Considering the convenience it provides in front-end development and how businesses are reacting to its popularity, we can safely say that the framework is currently one of the top technologies you can invest in as a programmer in Japan.

React in Practice: How Is React Used in Japan?

As you can tell by now, React has become a cornerstone for front-end development in Japan, especially due to its versatile nature that allows the creation of complex and dynamic user interfaces with relative ease. 

Generally, the use cases of the React framework in Japan boil down to two main categories.

• Front-End Use in Website Creation: React is extensively utilized to craft responsive, interactive, and very complex websites, as it makes such daunting processes relatively easy.

• Mobile Application Development With React Native: While React Native may not be as popular in Japan, it’s increasingly being used more and more in mobile application development here.

So, front-end use is the predominant use case of the React library in Japan. Still, the global trend of integrating React into mobile development has been slowly catching on here as well.

React Salaries in Japan: Financial Prospects of React Developers

The data that helped us rank the most popular languages and frameworks in Japan also allowed us to determine the median annual salary of each language or library we looked into.

According to the data we’ve collected at Japan Dev, the annual median salary for a React developer in Japan is ￥9 million.

You can see in the list we shared that this is by no means a low number. In fact, as I mentioned, companies that use React are mostly young startups that tend to have a more modern work environment. These companies also offer the best salaries in Japan’s IT scene, following second behind large-scale international corporations. 

Plus, as you can see on our list, while React ranks lower than JavaScript itself, as a JavaScript library, it still gets developers a higher median salary, which is a testament to its relevancy today. 

If you’re new to React and want to learn the language, check out my guide to the best coding bootcamps in Tokyo to get a headstart.

Top Companies Using React: React Usage in Japan

Many of the companies we feature on Japan Dev offer React jobs, some of which currently have open listings on our React jobs board.

To name a notable few:

• Mercari: Japan’s first unicorn startup company, Mercari uses React to maintain its online second-hand market app.

• Cybozu: React helps Cybozu create and maintain its popular cloud-based collaboration service efficiently.

• Money Forward: Japan’s leading FinTech company relies on React in their daily operations.

With all that out of the way, let’s provide a few tips for those looking for React jobs in Japan.

Tips for Scoring A React Job in Japan

Our best recommendation is to check the React jobs page on Japan Dev. We frequently update the page with new opportunities, and the companies listed are all manually verified by the Japan Dev team to have the best work conditions and employment practices.

In addition, you can also engage with the React community in Japan, which can work well as a networking practice where you can also meet like-minded individuals. You can attend meetups and conferences all over Japan. We have a post detailing Tokyo tech meetups, as well as the Kansai region (Kyoto and Osaka) and Fukuoka. Alternatively, you can also check out our top tech conferences guide to find even more online and in-person events.

Finally, another great tip for anyone looking for developer jobs is to contribute to open-source projects. You can head over to my open-source communities post if you don’t know where to get started. Open-source projects are a great way to make yourself known and organically connect with the React community in Japan.

Final Words On React in Japan

The JavaScript library React.js is as popular in Japan as it is in the rest of the world. If you’re considering learning it, it’ll be a good investment, and our data strongly supports this claim. 

To reiterate what was covered here today:

• In Japan, React ranks in the 11th spot among our most popular languages and frameworks list

• The median salary for React developers in the country is 9 million JPY

• React is predominantly used for creating the front end for websites, and streamlining and simplifying complex website creation processes

So, if you’re a React engineer on a job hunt, you’re bound to find a job to your liking if you continue to check our React jobs page. That said, if you’re considering learning React to find a developer job here, I also have a detailed guide for the best coding bootcamps in Tokyo. Bootcamps can be great if you wish to find a job sooner and prefer a structured learning method as opposed to self-study.

Lastly, if you want to get a more general overview of the financial prospects of developers in Japan, head over to our guide on software developer salaries in Japan.