JST Japan Standard Time - Complete Guide

I've been on 7 AM calls with Tokyo more times than I want to remember. Japan Standard Time (JST) is UTC+9, which means if you're in the US, you're either waking up brutally early or staying up way too late. Let me walk you through what you need to know.

Japan Standard Time: UTC+9, No DST

Japan uses one timezone for the whole country: UTC+9. Hokkaido to Okinawa, everyone's on the same clock.

What UTC+9 Means For You

When it's midnight UTC, it's 9 AM in Japan. Here's how that translates:

• 14 hours ahead of New York in winter (EST)
• 13 hours ahead of New York in summer (EDT)
• 17 hours ahead of LA in winter (PST)
• 16 hours ahead of LA in summer (PDT)
• 9 hours ahead of London in winter (GMT)
• 8 hours ahead of London in summer (BST)
• Same time as South Korea (KST)

Japan established JST on January 1, 1888, based on the 135th meridian east of Greenwich. It hasn't changed since. No DST, no surprises—Japan's timezone is predictable, which is rare and wonderful.

No DST = No Confusion (Finally)

Japan doesn't do Daylight Saving Time. This is amazing for scheduling.

Why Japan Skipped DST

They tried it during the Allied occupation (1948-1951). People hated it. The energy savings were minimal, the disruption was annoying, so they killed it and never looked back.

Smart move.

What This Means For You

Year-round consistency. The offset never changes. You calculate it once, it stays that way. No "wait, did Japan spring forward yet?" No DST-related meeting disasters.

The catch: countries that *do* observe DST shift relative to Japan twice a year. New York's 14 hours behind in winter (EST), only 13 hours behind in summer (EDT).

Use overlap finder to handle the DST math automatically. It knows which countries have changed clocks and which haven't.

Japanese Business Culture: Time Is Everything

If you're working with Japanese teams, understand this: punctuality isn't just expected, it's sacred.

Being "On Time" Means Being Early

In Japan, arriving exactly at the meeting time is considered late. Arriving 2-3 minutes late? Disrespectful. You just damaged the relationship.

For virtual meetings:

• Join 5 minutes early. Always.
• Test your tech beforehand. Don't be the person fumbling with Zoom settings.
• Have a backup plan. Phone number, alternate platform, something.

I've seen deals stall because someone joined a call 90 seconds late. Don't be that person.

Work Hours (On Paper vs Reality)

Official hours: 9 AM - 6 PM JST, Monday-Friday. Lunch is noon to 1 PM. Core hours are 10 AM - 4 PM.

Reality: Japanese work culture runs long. Many people stay until 7 PM, 8 PM, later. Meetings can be scheduled into the evening. Decision-making takes time because consensus matters more than speed.

Plan accordingly.

Holidays That Will Wreck Your Schedule

Japan has three major holiday periods where everything stops:

• Golden Week (late April - early May): week-long national holiday
• Obon (mid-August): traditional Buddhist holiday, businesses close
• New Year (Dec 29 - Jan 3): extended shutdown

Don't plan launches, deadlines, or critical meetings during these periods. Just don't.

US-Japan Scheduling: It's Brutal

13-17 hours of separation. There's no good time for everyone. Someone's always miserable.

Japan to East Coast US

| Japan Time | New York Time | Reality Check |

|-----------|--------------|---------------|

| 7 AM JST | 5 PM EST (prev day) | Japan's starting work, US is leaving |

| 8 AM JST | 6 PM EST (prev day) | Japan morning, US evening |

| 9 AM JST | 7 PM EST (prev day) | Japan workday start, US is done |

| 10 PM JST | 8 AM EST | Japan's almost midnight, US morning |

| 11 PM JST | 9 AM EST | Japan should be asleep, US starting |

Your options:

• Early Japan morning (7-8 AM JST) = US East Coast end of day (5-6 PM EST)
• Late Japan evening (10-11 PM JST) = US East Coast morning (8-9 AM EST)

Neither is great. Most teams rotate so the pain's shared fairly.

Japan to West Coast US

| Japan Time | California Time | Reality Check |

|-----------|----------------|---------------|

| 7 AM JST | 2 PM PST (prev day) | Japan morning, US afternoon |

| 8 AM JST | 3 PM PST (prev day) | Decent overlap |

| 9 AM JST | 4 PM PST (prev day) | Japan starting, US ending |

Best bet:

• Japan morning (7-9 AM JST) = US West Coast afternoon (2-4 PM PST)

This is the least painful option for US-Japan teams. West Coast folks get a reasonable afternoon slot, Japan gets morning.

How Teams Actually Make This Work

Rotate meeting times. One week favors Japan, next week favors US. Don't make the same people take midnight calls every time.

Go async. Record video updates. Write detailed docs. Use shared workspaces. Most communication shouldn't require everyone online simultaneously.

Block dedicated slots. Pick one or two windows per week for live meetings. Protect them.

Be flexible. Some weeks require early mornings or late nights. That's the deal.

Use overlap finder to see your actual options based on everyone's working hours.

Japan With Other Timezones

Japan to Europe

| Japan Time | Europe Time | What's Happening |

|-----------|------------|------------------|

| 5 PM JST | 9 AM CET | Japan's wrapping up, Europe's starting |

| 6 PM JST | 10 AM CET | Decent overlap |

| 7 PM JST | 11 AM CET | Japan evening, Europe mid-morning |

Sweet spot: 5-8 PM JST = 9 AM-noon CET. That's 3-4 hours of reasonable overlap. Not bad.

Japan to Australia

| Japan Time | Sydney Time | What's Happening |

|-----------|------------|------------------|

| 9 AM JST | 11 AM AEDT | Both in morning |

| 10 AM JST | Noon AEDT | Full overlap |

| 6 PM JST | 8 PM AEDT | Both wrapping up |

This is easy. Japan and Australia (east coast) are only 2 hours apart during Australian summer. Full business day overlap. Lucky them.

Japan to India

| Japan Time | India Time | What's Happening |

|-----------|-----------|------------------|

| 9 AM JST | 5:30 AM IST | Japan starting, India's too early |

| 2 PM JST | 10:30 AM IST | Good window |

| 6 PM JST | 2:30 PM IST | Both afternoon |

Best window: Noon-6 PM JST = 8:30 AM-2:30 PM IST. Works for both sides.

Key Japanese Cities (All JST)

Japan uses one timezone for everything. Major business centers:

• Tokyo: Capital, financial hub, tech center, home to Tokyo Stock Exchange
• Osaka: Second-largest metro area, manufacturing and commerce
• Nagoya: Automotive industry (Toyota HQ is here)
• Yokohama: Major port, part of Greater Tokyo
• Fukuoka: Gateway to Asia, growing startup scene
• Sapporo: Northern Japan, tourism and agriculture

Working With Japanese Teams: What I've Learned

How to Communicate

Start formal. Use titles and family names until they tell you otherwise. Written communication should be detailed—give context, explain reasoning. Japanese colleagues often won't ask clarifying questions even if they're confused, so confirm understanding explicitly.

Allow time for decisions. Consensus matters in Japanese business culture. What takes 30 minutes in a US meeting might take a week in Japan. That's not slowness, that's their process.

Meeting Basics

Send the agenda ahead of time. Japanese teams prepare thoroughly.

Start with small talk—weather, recent holidays, something light. Then transition to business.

Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. English isn't everyone's first language.

End with clear action items. Summarize what happens next, who owns what, when decisions are due.

Scheduling Don't's

Don't schedule Friday evening JST. Let people have their weekend.

Check holiday calendars. Golden Week and Obon will wreck your plans if you don't check first.

Confirm the date. The International Date Line causes confusion. "Tuesday" in Tokyo might be "Monday" in LA. Always specify the date, not just the day of the week.

Bottom Line

JST is UTC+9, year-round, no DST. That's the easy part.

The hard part? Finding overlap with the US requires 7 AM Japan calls or 10 PM Japan calls. Neither is sustainable long-term, so rotate the burden.

For Europe and Australia, the gaps are manageable. India's doable. US-Japan is the tough one.

Use overlap finder to see your actual options. For broader strategies on managing distributed teams, check out the remote team timezone management guide.

Working with Japan rewards patience, punctuality, and respect for their business culture. Get those right, and the timezone stuff becomes just logistics.