Which countries stay on UTC+9 all year?
Japan, South Korea, North Korea, East Timor, Palau, and eastern Indonesia run on UTC+9 permanently. No clock changes. No summer time. The offset from UTC never shifts.
| Country / Territory | Local time name | DST? |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Japan Standard Time (JST) | No DST |
| South Korea | Korea Standard Time (KST) | No DST |
| North Korea | Pyongyang Time (PYT) | No DST |
| East Timor | Timor Leste Time (TLT) | No DST |
| Palau | Palau Time (PWT) | No DST |
| Indonesia (eastern part) | Eastern Indonesia Time (WIT) | No DST |
A meeting set for 10:00 in Yokohama is also 10:00 in Seoul, Pyongyang, Dili, Palau, and Jayapura. No conversion needed.
Indonesia runs three time zones. UTC+7 covers the west, including Jakarta. UTC+8 covers the centre, including Makassar. Only the eastern third (Jayapura, Merauke, the Maluku islands) matches Japan on UTC+9.
North Korea moved back to UTC+9 in May 2018, abandoning its half-hour offset of UTC+8:30. Pyongyang Time now sits level with JST and KST.
Does any UTC+9 country use daylight saving time?
One region does. Russia’s Far East runs on Yakutsk Time (YAKT, UTC+9) during standard time and jumps to Yakutsk Summer Time (YAKST, UTC+10) for summer.
| Region | Standard time (winter) | DST time (summer) |
|---|---|---|
| Russia (Far East, part) | Yakutsk Time (YAKT), UTC+9 | Yakutsk Summer (YAKST), UTC+10 |
The western Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and parts of Amur Oblast observe the shift. Clocks move forward to UTC+10 on the last Sunday of March and fall back on the last Sunday of October.
From October to March, a call from Yokohama to Yakutsk lands at the same hour. From April to September, Yakutsk is one hour ahead. Recurring meetings need a seasonal adjustment: UTC+9 in winter, UTC+10 in summer. Everyone else on this list stays fixed.
How does UTC+9 compare to neighbouring zones?
| Offset | Major locations |
|---|---|
| UTC+8 | China (CST), Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Western Australia, central Indonesia |
| UTC+9 | Japan, South Korea, North Korea, East Timor, Palau, eastern Indonesia |
| UTC+10 | Eastern Australia (AEST), Guam, Papua New Guinea, Russian Vladivostok Time (summer) |
UTC+9 is nine hours ahead of UTC. When it is 12:00 in London (UTC+0 in winter), it is 21:00 in Yokohama.
Is UTC+9 the same as JST?
Yes, but only for Japan.
JST is the IANA zone Asia/Tokyo. It is always UTC+9. South Korea uses Asia/Seoul, North Korea uses Asia/Pyongyang, and so on. The offset is identical. The label is not.
The abbreviation JST causes trouble. Some scheduling tools use JST for Jerusalem Standard Time (UTC+2). That is a seven-hour gap from Japan. Check the context before you confirm.