2024 time change dates for Japan
Japan does not observe Daylight Saving Time
Clocks in Japan stay on JST all year, so there is no spring forward or fall back date.
Japan stays on JST for the whole year.
Countdown to the next change
Background
- Germany and Austria-Hungary were the first countries to adopt DST nationally, in April 1916, as a wartime fuel-saving measure.
- The spring transition is associated with a measurable short-term rise in heart attacks and fatal traffic crashes, an effect researchers attribute to the lost hour of sleep rather than the clock itself.
- Russia experimented with permanent summer time from 2011 to 2014 before settling on permanent standard time.
Tips for Japan
Check and replace smoke detector batteries when changing clocks - it's a good reminder!
Set your clocks before going to bed to avoid confusion in the morning.
Use the extra evening daylight in summer for outdoor activities and vitamin D.
Consider the time change when scheduling meetings with people in other time zones.
Frequently asked questions
When do the clocks change in Japan in 2024?
They do not. Japan does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Which way do the clocks go?
"Spring forward, fall back" is the usual mnemonic: forward one hour in spring, back one hour in autumn.
Do I have to change anything myself?
Phones, computers and anything that syncs over the internet update on their own. Car clocks, ovens, microwaves and older wall clocks generally do not.
Is Daylight Saving Time being scrapped?
It has been proposed in many places and adopted in few. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end mandatory clock changes and the change has stalled; in the United States the Sunshine Protection Act has repeatedly passed the Senate without becoming law. Most of the world that changes its clocks is still changing them.