Japan Standard (JST)
Tokyo operates on Japan Standard (JST). This time zone does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Time Zone: Japan Standard Time (JST) — Standard Offset: UTC+9 (JST) — DST: Not observed
Country: Japan
This city does not observe Daylight Saving Time. The UTC offset remains constant year-round, which simplifies international scheduling.
Japan does not observe Daylight Saving Time, which simplifies scheduling but means the offset with DST-observing countries changes twice a year. During US summer, Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of New York. During US winter, it's 14 hours ahead. This consistency makes Japan a reliable anchor point for international scheduling — the time in Tokyo is always UTC+9, year-round. Japan briefly experimented with DST during the Allied occupation (1948-1951) but abandoned it due to public dissatisfaction.
Japanese business hours typically run from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM JST, though the culture of overtime means many offices are active well beyond 6 PM. The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) — the largest in Asia and third-largest globally — operates from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM JST with a lunch break from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. If you're scheduling calls with Tokyo from the US East Coast, your best window is 7 PM to 10 PM ET (which is 9 AM to 12 PM JST the next day).
Tokyo serves as the financial and business anchor for the Asia-Pacific region. JST overlaps with Australian Eastern Time (just 1-2 hours difference), Korean Standard Time (same offset — UTC+9), and has reasonable overlap with Singapore and Hong Kong (1 hour behind Tokyo). This clustering of major Asian economies within a 1-2 hour time zone band makes the UTC+8 to UTC+9 corridor the busiest time zone cluster in Asia.
For travelers arriving from the US West Coast, Tokyo is 17 hours ahead (16 during DST). The dramatic time shift is why westbound trans-Pacific flights typically depart in the afternoon and arrive in the evening of the next day. Calling Tokyo from Europe is more manageable — London to Tokyo is 9 hours during winter and 8 hours during BST. A morning London call at 8 AM GMT catches Tokyo at 5 PM JST, right at the end of the business day.