diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/70426-allow-non-ascii-chars-in-cron.yml b/changelogs/fragments/70426-allow-non-ascii-chars-in-cron.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..65275d82dc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/70426-allow-non-ascii-chars-in-cron.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - cron - encode and decode crontab files in UTF-8 explicitly to allow non-ascii chars in cron filepath and job (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/69492)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/cron.py b/lib/ansible/modules/cron.py
index 781a75facfb..de7ade540bd 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/cron.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/cron.py
@@ -210,6 +210,7 @@ import sys
 import tempfile
 
 from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
+from ansible.module_utils.common.text.converters import to_bytes, to_native
 from ansible.module_utils.six.moves import shlex_quote
 
 
@@ -231,14 +232,16 @@ class CronTab(object):
         self.root = (os.getuid() == 0)
         self.lines = None
         self.ansible = "#Ansible: "
-        self.existing = ''
+        self.n_existing = ''
         self.cron_cmd = self.module.get_bin_path('crontab', required=True)
 
         if cron_file:
             if os.path.isabs(cron_file):
                 self.cron_file = cron_file
+                self.b_cron_file = to_bytes(cron_file, errors='surrogate_or_strict')
             else:
                 self.cron_file = os.path.join('/etc/cron.d', cron_file)
+                self.b_cron_file = os.path.join(b'/etc/cron.d', to_bytes(cron_file, errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
         else:
             self.cron_file = None
 
@@ -250,9 +253,8 @@ class CronTab(object):
         if self.cron_file:
             # read the cronfile
             try:
-                f = open(self.cron_file, 'r')
-                self.existing = f.read()
-                self.lines = self.existing.splitlines()
+                f = open(self.b_cron_file, 'rb')
+                self.n_existing = to_native(f.read(), errors='surrogate_or_strict')
                 f.close()
             except IOError:
                 # cron file does not exist
@@ -266,7 +268,7 @@ class CronTab(object):
             if rc != 0 and rc != 1:  # 1 can mean that there are no jobs.
                 raise CronTabError("Unable to read crontab")
 
-            self.existing = out
+            self.n_existing = out
 
             lines = out.splitlines()
             count = 0
@@ -277,7 +279,7 @@ class CronTab(object):
                     self.lines.append(l)
                 else:
                     pattern = re.escape(l) + '[\r\n]?'
-                    self.existing = re.sub(pattern, '', self.existing, 1)
+                    self.n_existing = re.sub(pattern, '', self.n_existing, 1)
                 count += 1
 
     def is_empty(self):
@@ -291,15 +293,15 @@ class CronTab(object):
         Write the crontab to the system. Saves all information.
         """
         if backup_file:
-            fileh = open(backup_file, 'w')
+            fileh = open(backup_file, 'wb')
         elif self.cron_file:
-            fileh = open(self.cron_file, 'w')
+            fileh = open(self.b_cron_file, 'wb')
         else:
             filed, path = tempfile.mkstemp(prefix='crontab')
             os.chmod(path, int('0644', 8))
-            fileh = os.fdopen(filed, 'w')
+            fileh = os.fdopen(filed, 'wb')
 
-        fileh.write(self.render())
+        fileh.write(to_bytes(self.render()))
         fileh.close()
 
         # return if making a backup
@@ -628,7 +630,7 @@ def main():
 
     if module._diff:
         diff = dict()
-        diff['before'] = crontab.existing
+        diff['before'] = crontab.n_existing
         if crontab.cron_file:
             diff['before_header'] = crontab.cron_file
         else:
@@ -724,8 +726,8 @@ def main():
                 changed = True
 
     # no changes to env/job, but existing crontab needs a terminating newline
-    if not changed and crontab.existing != '':
-        if not (crontab.existing.endswith('\r') or crontab.existing.endswith('\n')):
+    if not changed and crontab.n_existing != '':
+        if not (crontab.n_existing.endswith('\r') or crontab.n_existing.endswith('\n')):
             changed = True
 
     res_args = dict(
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/cron/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/cron/tasks/main.yml
index 155fc2d5809..950d52dc4fc 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/cron/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/cron/tasks/main.yml
@@ -122,3 +122,65 @@
 
   - assert:
       that: not cron_file_stats.stat.exists
+
+- name: Allow non-ascii chars in job (#69492)
+  block:
+  - name: Cron file creation
+    cron:
+      cron_file: cron_filename
+      name: "cron job that contain non-ascii chars in job (これは日本語です; This is Japanese)"
+      job: 'echo "うどんは好きだがお化け👻は苦手である。"'
+      user: root
+
+  - name: "Ensure cron_file contains job string"
+    replace:
+      path: /etc/cron.d/cron_filename
+      regexp: "うどんは好きだがお化け👻は苦手である。"
+      replace: "それは機密情報🔓です。"
+    register: find_chars
+    failed_when: (find_chars is not changed) or (find_chars is failed)
+
+  - name: Cron file deletion
+    cron:
+      cron_file: cron_filename
+      name: "cron job that contain non-ascii chars in job (これは日本語です; This is Japanese)"
+      state: absent
+
+  - name: Check file succesfull deletion
+    stat:
+      path: /etc/cron.d/cron_filename
+    register: cron_file_stats
+
+  - assert:
+      that: not cron_file_stats.stat.exists
+
+- name: Allow non-ascii chars in cron_file (#69492)
+  block:
+  - name: Cron file creation with non-ascii filename (これは日本語です; This is Japanese)
+    cron:
+      cron_file: 'なせば大抵なんとかなる👊'
+      name: "integration test cron"
+      job: 'echo "Hello, ansible!"'
+      user: root
+
+  - name: Check file exists
+    stat:
+      path: "/etc/cron.d/なせば大抵なんとかなる👊"
+    register: cron_file_stats
+
+  - assert:
+      that: cron_file_stats.stat.exists
+
+  - name: Cron file deletion
+    cron:
+      cron_file: 'なせば大抵なんとかなる👊'
+      name: "integration test cron"
+      state: absent
+
+  - name: Check file succesfull deletion
+    stat:
+      path: "/etc/cron.d/なせば大抵なんとかなる👊"
+    register: cron_file_stats
+
+  - assert:
+      that: not cron_file_stats.stat.exists