Live · calculated from the IANA time-zone database
Time difference between Chicago and Tokyo
Short answer
Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of Chicago. Right now it is 07:33 in Chicago (CDT, UTC−5) and 21:33 in Tokyo (GMT+9, UTC+9).
Right now
Chicago · United States
07:33
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Central Daylight Time · CDT · UTC−5
Tokyo · Japan
21:33
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Japan Standard Time · GMT+9 · UTC+9
Times at the moment this page was generated. Reload for a fresh reading.
Does the difference between Chicago and Tokyo change during the year?
Yes. For 238 days of 2026 the difference is 14 hours, but it moves whenever Chicago or Tokyo enters or leaves daylight saving time. Here is the full 2026 calendar (dates in UTC):
| From | Until | Tokyo vs Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | March 8 | +15 h |
| March 8 | November 1 | +14 h |
| November 1 | December 31 | +15 h |
The highlighted row is the current period. Every date comes from each zone's official rules, not from a hand-typed table.
Best time to call Tokyo from Chicago (and vice versa)
With 14 hours between them there is no hour at which Chicago and Tokyo are both inside a 9:00–17:00 working day. Teams split across these two cities usually alternate the sacrifice: one week the meeting lands early (7:00–8:00) in Chicago and late (18:00–19:00) in the other city, the next week the other way round. The Timezone Matcher grid shades exactly those compromise hours.
Chicago to Tokyo conversion table
Each Chicago hour and its equivalent in Tokyo today. Rows shaded green are working hours (9:00–17:00) in both cities at once.
| Chicago time · Tue, Sep 15 | Tokyo time |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | 14:00 |
| 01:00 | 15:00 |
| 02:00 | 16:00 |
| 03:00 | 17:00 |
| 04:00 | 18:00 |
| 05:00 | 19:00 |
| 06:00 | 20:00 |
| 07:00 | 21:00 |
| 08:00 | 22:00 |
| 09:00 | 23:00 |
| 10:00 | 00:00next day |
| 11:00 | 01:00next day |
| 12:00 | 02:00next day |
| 13:00 | 03:00next day |
| 14:00 | 04:00next day |
| 15:00 | 05:00next day |
| 16:00 | 06:00next day |
| 17:00 | 07:00next day |
| 18:00 | 08:00next day |
| 19:00 | 09:00next day |
| 20:00 | 10:00next day |
| 21:00 | 11:00next day |
| 22:00 | 12:00next day |
| 23:00 | 13:00next day |
Looking for it the other way round? This page covers both directions: Tokyo to Chicago is the same difference with the sign flipped.
The two time zones
Chicago — America/Chicago
Chicago follows Central Time (CT): UTC−6 in winter (CST) and UTC−5 in summer (CDT), shared with Dallas, Houston and most of the US Midwest and South.
Tokyo — Asia/Tokyo
Tokyo keeps Japan Standard Time (JST), a fixed UTC+9 with no daylight saving. Japan and South Korea share the offset, so Tokyo and Seoul are always on the same clock.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours difference between Chicago and Tokyo?
Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of Chicago. For most of the year (238 days) the difference is 14 hours; it shifts during the weeks when one of the two cities enters or leaves daylight saving time.
When it is 12:00 noon in Chicago, what time is it in Tokyo?
02:00 in Tokyo the next day (at today's difference of 14 hours).
What is the best time for a meeting between Chicago and Tokyo?
There is no overlap between the 9:00–17:00 working days of Chicago and Tokyo. Teams usually alternate: an early-morning slot in Chicago lands in the late evening of the other city.
Do Chicago and Tokyo observe daylight saving time?
Chicago: yes. Tokyo: no. Because only one of them changes its clocks, the difference moves by one hour twice a year.
What time zone is Chicago in? And Tokyo?
Chicago: Central Daylight Time (America/Chicago, UTC−5). Tokyo: Japan Standard Time (Asia/Tokyo, UTC+9).
Tools
Meeting grid — add both cities and click a slot
Time zone converter — any city, any time
Working hours overlap calculator
Daylight saving time 2027 — all dates
More time differences from Chicago
More time differences from Tokyo
© 2026 Furiosa Studio · Part of the Furiosa Data Tools Network