What is the time difference between Tokyo and Los Angeles?

Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles during US Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC-7, roughly March–November) and 17 hours ahead during US Pacific Standard Time (PST, UTC-8, roughly November–March). Tokyo does not observe daylight saving time and stays at JST (UTC+9) year-round.

Does Tokyo observe daylight saving time?

No. Japan abolished daylight saving time in 1952 and has not used it since. Tokyo always observes JST (Japan Standard Time, UTC+9) regardless of the season.

When does Los Angeles change its clocks?

Los Angeles moves clocks forward on the second Sunday in March at 02:00 PST (becoming PDT, UTC-7) and back on the first Sunday in November at 02:00 PDT (returning to PST, UTC-8).

What are good meeting times for both Tokyo and Los Angeles?

The overlap is tight. When Tokyo is 09:00-18:00, Los Angeles is 16:00-01:00 the previous day (PDT) or 15:00-00:00 (PST). In practice, late afternoon in Los Angeles (16:00-18:00 PDT) corresponds to 09:00-11:00 next morning in Tokyo — the most practical window for both sides.

Is Tokyo always ahead of Los Angeles?

Yes. Tokyo (UTC+9) is always ahead of Los Angeles (UTC-8 or UTC-7). The difference is either 16 hours (PDT season) or 17 hours (PST season). There is no period when they are equal or reversed.

Is this tool accurate for scheduling?

Yes. It uses the IANA timezone database embedded in your browser — the same source used by operating systems and calendar apps worldwide. Accuracy depends on your device clock being synchronized via NTP, which most devices do automatically.

Time Difference: Tokyo to Los Angeles

See the current time in Tokyo and Los Angeles side by side, with the exact hour offset, updated live every second.

Tokyo, Japan

--:--:--

JST UTC+9

Los Angeles, USA

--:--:--

PST UTC-8

Current Offset

+17 hours

Tokyo is 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles

Meeting Overlap Finder

Business hours (09:00–18:00) highlighted — best overlap shaded

Tokyo	Los Angeles	Status

Convert Tokyo Time to Los Angeles Time

Based on the current offset — updates automatically

Tokyo	Los Angeles

Summary

This tool displays the live current time in both Tokyo (Asia/Tokyo — JST, UTC+9, no DST) and Los Angeles (America/Los_Angeles — PST UTC-8 in winter, PDT UTC-7 in summer) side by side. The offset between the two cities varies by season: 16 hours when Los Angeles observes PDT (summer) and 17 hours when it observes PST (winter). Tokyo does not observe daylight saving time, so the full offset shift comes entirely from the US Pacific DST transition.

How it works

Your browser reads the current moment from your device clock.
It converts that moment to Asia/Tokyo time using the IANA timezone database built into modern browsers.
The same moment is converted to America/Los_Angeles time.
The UTC offsets of both cities are compared to calculate the exact hour difference.
All three values — Tokyo time, Los Angeles time, and the offset — refresh every second.
DST transitions for Los Angeles are handled automatically; Tokyo stays at UTC+9 year-round.

Use cases

Scheduling video calls between Tokyo and Los Angeles teams.
Checking if a colleague in Tokyo is still at their desk.
Planning travel between Japan and California.
Remote teams coordinating daily standups across Japan and the US West Coast.
Finding overlapping business hours for Tokyo-LA meetings.
Verifying the current timezone abbreviation for each city.
Journalists checking live broadcast times across the Pacific.
Students and teachers arranging online lessons between Japan and California.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-11 · Reviewed by Nham Vu