About Tokyo Time (Japan Standard Time)
Tokyo operates on Japan Standard Time (JST), which is UTC+9 year-round. Japan is one of the few major economies that does not observe daylight saving time, making it simpler to calculate time differences with Tokyo throughout the year. The only variable is whether the other country is currently in DST or not.
As the world's largest metropolitan economy, Tokyo drives Asian financial markets. The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 3:00 PM JST, with a lunch break from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM. The TSE is the third-largest stock exchange globally by market capitalization.
Japan's decision not to use daylight saving time means JST stays constant at UTC+9. This was not always the case — Japan briefly observed DST during the post-war occupation (1948-1951) but abandoned it due to public opposition. Several proposals to reintroduce DST have been debated but none have been adopted.
For international business, Tokyo's position creates natural overlap windows. With London, the overlap is limited: Tokyo's afternoon (3-5 PM JST) aligns with London's morning (6-8 AM GMT). With Sydney, there is strong overlap as the time difference is only 1-2 hours depending on the season.
When scheduling meetings with Tokyo, remember that Japanese business culture values punctuality. Standard working hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM JST, though many offices operate later. Friday evenings are generally not ideal for meetings due to social customs.