Section chiefs at major Japanese companies earned an average 9.15 million yen last year, a private think tank said.

The average income of department managers was 11.61 million yen, according to the JMA Management Center, an affiliate of the Japan Management Association.

The poll was conducted last November and December, with 247 firms responding.

It said annual income for section chiefs at companies with fewer than 1,000 employees averaged 8.71 million yen, while their counterparts at companies with between 1,000 and 1,500 employees averaged 8.92 million yen.

Those who work for companies with more than 5,000 employees received an average of 10.13 million yen, it said.

The wage difference between chiefs rated highly and those rated as being poor was "unexpectedly small," the think tank said.

Those with favorable evaluations from the management of their companies received 11.8 percent more than the average at most, while those with unfavorable evaluations received only up to 11.4 percent less than the average.

Overall, 4 percent of section chiefs in the survey received more than 12 million yen, and 7.4 percent of department managers received more than 15 million yen.

The average income of team leaders was 7.18 million yen. Of these, 9 percent received income of more than 9 million yen, it added.