Current Time in Tokyo
Japan — Asia/Tokyo
About Time in Tokyo
Tokyo operates on Japan Standard Time (IANA: Asia/Tokyo) at UTC+9 year-round. Japan does not observe daylight saving time and has not done so since 1951, when the post-war DST experiment introduced by the American occupation was abandoned due to public opposition. The Japanese clock never changes.
Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of New York during EST and 13 hours ahead during EDT. It is 9 hours ahead of London during GMT and 8 hours ahead during BST. Tokyo is 1 hour behind Sydney during Australian Eastern Standard Time but 2 hours behind during Australian daylight saving time. The fixed UTC+9 offset means that Tokyo's time difference with the US shifts by exactly 1 hour when America changes clocks.
Japan's decision not to use DST reflects a cultural preference for consistency and social harmony. The fixed timezone means Japanese business, transportation, and broadcasting operate on the same schedule year-round. The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) opens at 9:00 AM JST and has a midday break from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM — a lunch break that is unique among major world stock exchanges and deeply tied to Japanese business culture.
Time Facts
Japan briefly used DST from 1948 to 1951 under American occupation, but the practice was so unpopular that it was abolished immediately after Japan regained sovereignty — Japanese people complained it just made them work longer hours.
Japanese trains are famously punctual: the Shinkansen (bullet train) averages less than 1 minute of delay per year, and JR East's commuter trains in Tokyo apologize for delays of even 30 seconds. Delay certificates ('chien shomeisho') are issued to passengers to present to employers.
Tokyo's Tsukiji/Toyosu fish market auctions begin at 5:30 AM JST, with tuna buyers arriving as early as 3:00 AM — when it is still the previous afternoon (2 PM EST) in New York.
The NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) time signal, broadcast before every hour, consists of three short beeps followed by a long beep precisely at the hour — a tradition dating to 1930 that has become synonymous with official time in Japan.
Business Hours
Standard business hours in Tokyo are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM JST (00:00-09:00 UTC), with many Japanese companies observing a culture of longer working hours that can extend to 8:00 PM or later.