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Time Difference: London vs Tokyo

Tokyo is 8 hours ahead of London right now.

United Kingdom
London
11:02:12 AM
British Summer Time
GMT+1
Japan
Tokyo
07:02:12 PM
Japan Standard Time
GMT+9
Tokyo is 8 hours ahead of London

London: GMT+1 · Tokyo: GMT+9

Best Meeting Times

There is no overlapping business hour window between London and Tokyo.

With a 8 hours time difference, when one city is in business hours the other is typically outside them. Recommend using asynchronous communication (email, recorded video) or scheduling at the edge of business hours in the city that adjusts better.

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About the London–Tokyo time difference

London (United Kingdom) operates on the Europe/London timezone, currently at GMT+1. Tokyo (Japan) operates on Asia/Tokyo, currently at GMT+9.

The current difference is 8 hours, with Tokyo being ahead. This difference may shift by 1 hour during daylight saving time transitions, since some cities observe DST and others do not.

To check the time difference on a specific future date (important when DST transitions are approaching), use the Time Zone Converter or the Meeting Planner with the date selector.

London to Tokyo time conversion table

LondonTokyo
6:00 AM2:00 PM
9:00 AM5:00 PM
12:00 PM8:00 PM
3:00 PM11:00 PM
6:00 PM2:00 AM (next day)
9:00 PM5:00 AM (next day)

Based on today's offsets. London changes clocks for daylight saving time, so this table can shift by an hour during the year.

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About the London–Tokyo Time Difference

The time difference between London (United Kingdom) and Tokyo (Japan) is determined by their respective UTC offsets and whether either city is currently observing daylight saving time. The live difference shown at the top of this page updates automatically — it always reflects the actual current offset, not a static figure that becomes wrong when DST transitions occur.

London uses the Europe/London time zone and Tokyo uses Asia/Tokyo. When the time difference between two cities is less than 6 hours, there is usually a meaningful window of overlapping business hours. When the difference exceeds 8 hours, teams typically need to accept that one side will be at the edge of — or outside — their normal working day.

Why DST Changes This Number

The time difference between London and Tokyo can shift by 1 hour — or even 2 hours in rare cases — during daylight saving time transitions. This happens because DST is not observed everywhere: most of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and parts of South America stay on a fixed UTC offset year-round, while North America, Europe, and Australasia adjust their clocks seasonally.

Even within DST-observing regions, transitions happen on different dates: the United States and Canada switch clocks on the second Sunday in March and first Sunday in November, while most of Europe switches on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. For the roughly two weeks between these dates, time differences between US and European cities are 1 hour different from their usual values.

To check the exact time difference between London and Tokyo on a specific future date — especially around a DST transition — use the Time Zone Converter with the date selector, or the Meeting Planner which shows the grid for any date you choose.

How to Schedule Meetings Between London and Tokyo

Step 1 — Find the overlap

Use the Meeting Planner to enter London and Tokyo. The green cells in the grid show hours where both cities are within 9 AM–5 PM. If no green exists, look for yellow cells showing early-morning or early-evening windows.

Step 2 — Check the date

If your meeting is weeks away, select that specific date in the planner to account for any DST changes between now and then. A meeting window that works today may shift by an hour after a DST transition.

Step 3 — Rotate the burden

When the time difference makes a comfortable overlap impossible, rotate who takes the early or late call. Distributing the inconvenience fairly across the team reduces friction and resentment over time.

Step 4 — Use async when possible

For time differences over 8 hours, consider async communication (recorded video updates, shared documents, Loom) for routine updates, saving live calls for decisions that truly require real-time discussion.

Related Tools

London & Tokyo Meeting Planner

Colour-coded business hours grid for any date

Time Zone Converter

Convert any specific time between the two cities

Time Difference Calculator

Compare any two cities with DST-aware offset

World Clock

Track London and Tokyo alongside other cities

London vs Tokyo — Frequently Asked Questions