A growing number of doctors in Japan are moving into cosmetic medicine in pursuit of higher pay and relatively flexible working conditions. The shift has raised concerns that staffing shortages in essential medical fields could worsen.
Monthly Pay Gap of 420,000 Yen in an Expanding Market
Job postings in Japan's cosmetic medicine field totaled 2,627 in April this year, up 6.2 times from 421 in the same month of 2019, according to data compiled by recruitment big-data firm Frog and reported by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 13th. The tally includes administrative positions as well as doctors and nurses.
High pay is behind the rising demand for workers in cosmetic medicine. Full-time doctors in the field earn an average monthly salary of 1,411,523 yen (about 12 million won), roughly 420,000 yen more than the 987,736 yen (about 8.4 million won) average for doctors in other medical fields. On an annual basis, the gap exceeds 5 million yen.
Market expansion is also cited as a factor drawing workers to the field. Demand for cosmetic procedures has risen in Japan since the COVID-19 pandemic. As treatments such as Botox have become mainstream, the number of medical institutions offering them has also been increasing. Facilities listing cosmetic surgery as a specialty numbered 2,016 in 2023, up 44% from 2020, according to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data.
Beyond higher income, a relatively lighter workload is also seen as influencing the choices of younger doctors. The ministry estimated that 15% of salaried doctors were on track to log 960 or more hours of overtime in 2025, the regulatory ceiling. In high-intensity specialties such as surgery, emergency medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, that share rose to between 19% and 25%.
Cosmetic Medicine Over Specialty Training: A Shared Challenge for Korea and Japan
Also spreading in Japan's medical community is a phenomenon known as "chokubi," in which doctors take jobs at cosmetic medical institutions after completing only the two-year initial clinical training that follows medical school, without pursuing specialty training. As young doctors who would otherwise build experience in essential medical fields choose other paths, the imbalance in the supply of medical personnel could deepen.
A similar trend is visible in South Korea. As general practitioners who have not obtained specialist credentials move into dermatology and cosmetic treatments, securing staff for less popular essential medical fields has emerged as a challenge.
First-year residency positions in 2024 were filled at a rate of just 30.9% in pediatrics, 47.6% in cardiothoracic surgery and 71.0% in obstetrics and gynecology, according to a study on improving support programs for medical personnel released this year by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. By contrast, popular specialties such as dermatology, ophthalmology and plastic surgery recorded 100% fill rates, underscoring the divide between fields. "The shortfall in quotas for core essential medical specialties that are directly tied to saving lives has reached a critical point," the report said.
The government is pursuing measures to secure essential medical staff, including a training allowance program and a pilot program for regional essential physicians. About 4,000 residents and fellows in essential specialties currently receive a monthly training allowance of 1 million won. Still, some argue that financial support alone cannot close the gap in pay and working conditions with cosmetic medicine, and that more fundamental measures are needed.