What is the Time Difference Between Tokyo and London?
Tokyo and London sit on opposite sides of the business world, and the gap between them is one of the largest you'll routinely manage: 9 hours in winter and 8 in summer. A Tokyo morning is London's late afternoon/evening of the previous day. Here's how to keep calls sane.
Time Zone Overview
Tokyo (JST)
Tokyo uses Japan Standard Time (JST), which is UTC+9 all year. Japan does not observe daylight saving time, so its offset never changes.
London (GMT/BST)
London is GMT (UTC+0) in winter and BST (UTC+1) in summer under the UK daylight saving schedule (late March to late October).
Time Difference
London winter: Tokyo is 9 hours ahead of London.
London summer: Tokyo is 8 hours ahead of London.
Because Japan has no DST, the only movement comes from London's switch.
Conversion Formula
Time in Tokyo = Time in London + 9 hours (winter) or + 8 hours (summer)
Quick Reference Table (London GMT → Tokyo JST)
| London | Tokyo |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| 12:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| 3:00 PM | 12:00 AM (next day) |
| 6:00 PM | 3:00 AM (next day) |
| 9:00 PM | 6:00 AM (next day) |
| 11:59 PM | 8:59 AM (next day) |
Common Use Cases
- Finance and trading desks linking London and Tokyo markets
- Game and software launches coordinated for a global midnight
- Remote engineers on a Tokyo team with London stakeholders
- Family video calls across the Eurasia gap
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time difference between Tokyo and London?
9 hours in London winter, 8 in summer. Tokyo is always ahead.
Does Tokyo observe DST?
No. Japan stays on JST (UTC+9) all year.
If it's 9 AM in London, what time is it in Tokyo?
6 PM JST (winter) or 5 PM JST (summer BST).
Best overlap for a meeting?
8-10 AM London = 5-7 PM Tokyo (winter). Limited but workable.
Is Tokyo ahead of London?
Yes, by 8-9 hours.
Use our world clock and meeting planner for live conversion.