Japan time now, live flip clock
All of Japan keeps one time, JST, UTC+9. The clock above is set to Tokyo and shows the seconds as they pass.
Time zone in Japan
Gaps in the table below run from Tokyo to cities abroad. Under one law, Tokyo Metropolis and nearby areas named by Cabinet Order form the National Capital Region.
- JST, UTC+9
- Not observed
- Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya
How many hours ahead or behind Tokyo
On 24 October 2026, New York is 13 hours behind Tokyo.
| City | Difference from Tokyo |
|---|---|
| New York | 13 hours behind |
| Los Angeles | 16 hours behind |
| Honolulu | 19 hours behind |
| London | 8 hours behind |
| Seoul | Same time |
| Shanghai | 1 hour behind |
| Sydney | 2 hours ahead |
| Kolkata | 3 hours 30 minutes behind |
| Your time zone | Detected after this page loads |
Convert a time between any two placesDaylight saving dates around the world
The rules behind Japan's clocks
- A meridian chosen by ordinance
- 135° E
- Ordinance No. 51 chose the meridian 135 degrees east of Greenwich. Its time became the general standard time of the country. The ordinance named a later start, at the opening of a new year. The time zone database dates Japan Standard Time from that same moment.
- The institute that keeps the time
- NICT
- The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology determines and maintains Japan Standard Time. The act that governs it lists announcing standard time among its tasks. Transmitting standard radio waves is on the same list. Its laboratory provides Japan Standard Time based on measurements of highly accurate clocks. It then makes the result public in several ways.
- How the Summer Time Act ran
- 1 h
- Under the Summer Time Act, clocks ran one hour ahead of central standard time each summer. The Act set the start as the first Saturday in April ended. Its first summer began on the first Saturday of May instead. A later amendment changed April to May in the Act itself. Summer time stopped when the day after the second Saturday of September began.
Questions about time in Japan
What time zone is Japan in?
Japan is on Japan Standard Time, JST, UTC+9. Asia/Tokyo is the one zone the time zone database gives Japan. A clock in Osaka or Nagoya reads exactly what a clock in Tokyo or Yokohama reads.
Does Japan have daylight saving time?
No. Japanese clocks stay at JST, UTC+9 through every season. Summer time ran for a few summers under its own Act. The time zone database's Japan rules end after those summers.
What is the time difference between Japan and the US?
New York is 14 hours behind Tokyo in the American winter, and Los Angeles 17 hours behind. During American daylight saving time, each is an hour closer. Honolulu does not change its clocks, so it stays 19 hours behind Tokyo all year. When Tokyo starts work, it is still yesterday afternoon in Honolulu.
What is the time difference between Japan and the UK?
London is 9 hours behind Tokyo in the British winter. When UK clocks go forward for summer, Tokyo's lead drops by one hour. Five in the afternoon in Tokyo is eight in the morning in London in winter, and nine in summer.
What is the time difference between Japan and Australia?
Tokyo is 1 hour behind Sydney in the Australian winter. For the southern summer, Sydney moves its clocks forward and the gap grows by an hour. Brisbane does not change its clocks, so it stays 1 hour ahead of Tokyo all year. Perth runs 1 hour behind Tokyo through the year.
Time zone names for developers
| IANA zone | Standard time | Daylight saving time |
|---|---|---|
| Asia/Tokyo | JST, UTC+9 | No |
Sources
We checked each fact on this page against these sources on 16 October 2026. Times, offsets and clock changes come from the time zone database.