Time Difference Between China and Japan
As of 31 August 2026, Japan is 1 hour ahead of China. This difference is fixed: neither zone shifts its clocks against the other, so it holds all year.
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Beijing, China
06:34
Tue, Sep 1, 2026
UTC+8 · Asia/Shanghai
Tokyo, Japan
+1h07:34
Tue, Sep 1, 2026
UTC+9 · Asia/Tokyo
Japan is 1 hour ahead of China.
Time zone details
| Place | Local date | Time zone | UTC offset | Summer time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Tuesday, September 1, 2026 | Asia/Shanghai | UTC+8 | Not observed |
| Japan | Tuesday, September 1, 2026 | Asia/Tokyo | UTC+9 | Not observed |
China: China uses a single official time zone across the whole country.
Hour by hour: China to Japan
Every hour of today in China and what it is in Japan. Highlighted rows fall inside Japan working hours (09:00–18:00).
| China | Japan |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 01:00 |
| 01:00 | 02:00 |
| 02:00 | 03:00 |
| 03:00 | 04:00 |
| 04:00 | 05:00 |
| 05:00 | 06:00 |
| 06:00 | 07:00 |
| 07:00 | 08:00 |
| 08:00 | 09:00 |
| 09:00 | 10:00 |
| 10:00 | 11:00 |
| 11:00 | 12:00 |
| China | Japan |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | 13:00 |
| 13:00 | 14:00 |
| 14:00 | 15:00 |
| 15:00 | 16:00 |
| 16:00 | 17:00 |
| 17:00 | 18:00 |
| 18:00 | 19:00 |
| 19:00 | 20:00 |
| 20:00 | 21:00 |
| 21:00 | 22:00 |
| 22:00 | 23:00 |
| 23:00 | 00:00next day |
Best time to call or meet
Overlapping working hours
09:00–17:00 in China (10:00–18:00 in Japan)
Both places are inside 09:00–18:00 for 8 hours a day. Anything in this window works without asking anyone to stay late.
Reasonable calling hours
08:00–20:00 in China (09:00–21:00 in Japan)
Both people are awake and available between 08:00 and 21:00 local time during this window.
When this difference changes
Neither China nor Japan changes its clocks, so the difference of 1 hour stays the same all year.
Planning something with more than two places?
Adding a third city usually kills the obvious answer. The Meeting Time Finder takes up to five cities at once and shows only the hours that work for everybody.
China and Japan: common questions
What is the time difference between China and Japan?
Japan is 1 hour ahead of China, and this does not change during the year because the difference between these two zones is fixed.
When it is 9:00 AM in China, what time is it in Japan?
It is 10:00 AM in Tokyo, Japan. Use the time field in the calculator above to check any other hour.
Is Japan ahead of or behind China?
Japan is ahead of China by 1 hour at the moment. In practical terms, the working day in Japan starts and ends earlier in China terms.
Do China and Japan observe daylight saving time?
Neither China nor Japan observes daylight saving time, so the difference stays at 1 hour all year.
What is the best time to call Japan from China?
Working hours overlap between 09:00 and 17:00 China time, which is 10:00 to 18:00 in Japan. Calls inside that window reach both sides during the normal working day.
Related comparisons
Local dates shown for Beijing, China (UTC+8) and Tokyo, Japan (UTC+9) were generated on Monday, August 31, 2026 UTC and refresh in your browser.