Time in Japan
Encyclopedia
Time in Japan is given by Japan Standard Time
(JST), which is nine hours ahead of UTC, i.e. UTC+09.
Japan started using the Gregorian calendar on 1 January 1873, locally known as "the first day of the first month of Meiji 6" (明治6年1月1日). The preceding day, 31 December 1872, was "the second day of the twelfth month of Meiji 5" (明治5年12月2日).
The lunisolar Japanese calendar
is no longer used except in very limited unofficial purposes, in which case 135°E longitude
is the modern reference point also used for Japan Standard Time
(UTC+09), as opposed to Kyoto
as the ancient reference point and the national capital until 1868.
Japanese eras are still in use.
Ordinance 51 (1886) established standard time
in Japan. Ordinance 167 (1895) renamed "standard time" to "central standard time" and established a new time zone "western standard time" at 120°E, for use in Taiwan
. But western standard time was abolished by ordinance 529 (1937) and all areas occupied by Japan observed JST until the end of World War II.
observed daylight saving time
(DST) from the first Sunday in May at 02:00 to the second Saturday in September at 02:00, except that the 1949 spring-forward transition was the first Sunday in April.
More recently there have been efforts to bring back DST in Japan, but so far this has not happened.
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
(JST), which is nine hours ahead of UTC, i.e. UTC+09.
Japan started using the Gregorian calendar on 1 January 1873, locally known as "the first day of the first month of Meiji 6" (明治6年1月1日). The preceding day, 31 December 1872, was "the second day of the twelfth month of Meiji 5" (明治5年12月2日).
The lunisolar Japanese calendar
Japanese calendar
On January 1, 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before 1873, the Chinese style lunisolar calendar had been in use since 7th century. Japanese eras are still in use.-System:...
is no longer used except in very limited unofficial purposes, in which case 135°E longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
is the modern reference point also used for Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
(UTC+09), as opposed to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
as the ancient reference point and the national capital until 1868.
Japanese eras are still in use.
Ordinance 51 (1886) established standard time
Standard time
Standard time is the result of synchronizing clocks in different geographical locations within a time zone to the same time rather than using the local meridian as in local mean time or solar time. Historically, this helped in the process of weather forecasting and train travel. The concept...
in Japan. Ordinance 167 (1895) renamed "standard time" to "central standard time" and established a new time zone "western standard time" at 120°E, for use in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. But western standard time was abolished by ordinance 529 (1937) and all areas occupied by Japan observed JST until the end of World War II.
Daylight saving time
In 1948–1951 occupied JapanOccupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
observed daylight saving time
Daylight saving time
Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
(DST) from the first Sunday in May at 02:00 to the second Saturday in September at 02:00, except that the 1949 spring-forward transition was the first Sunday in April.
More recently there have been efforts to bring back DST in Japan, but so far this has not happened.