What Is the Capital of Japan? Tokyo

Q: What time zone is Tokyo in?

Tokyo is on UTC+9 — UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Tokyo at a glance

Name origin

Originally known as Edo, meaning "estuary" because of its location on a bay; the name was changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital," in 1868, as a contrast to Kyoto, the previous capital to the west.

Time zone

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). No daylight saving time.

Coordinates

35 41 N, 139 45 E · IANA time zone Asia/Tokyo

Location of Japan

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Largest cities in Japan

1

Tokyo Capital

37.2 million

2

Osaka

19.0 million

3

Nagoya

9.6 million

4

Kitakyushu-Fukuoka

5.5 million

5

Shizuoka-Hamamatsu

2.9 million

6

Sapporo

2.7 million

Urban-area population · CIA World Factbook (public domain)

Capitals closest to Tokyo

Straight-line distance between capitals.

Frequently asked questions about Tokyo

What is the capital of Japan?

The capital of Japan is Tokyo. About 37.2 million people live in the Tokyo urban area — 30.1% of the country's population.

Is Tokyo the largest city in Japan?

Yes — Tokyo is also the largest urban area of Japan (37.2 million).

What time zone is Tokyo in?

Tokyo is on UTC+9 — UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time). There is no daylight saving time.

Where does the name Tokyo come from?

Originally known as Edo, meaning "estuary" because of its location on a bay; the name was changed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital," in 1868, as a contrast to Kyoto, the previous capital to the west.

Data: CIA World Factbook (public domain); population: World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0).

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