The costly failure mode for China–Japan teams is overlapping long breaks, not the one-hour time difference. China’s calendar is shaped by tiaoxiu; Japan’s is shaped by the Act on National Holidays, substitute holidays, and Golden Week clustering — plus common mid-August Obon company leave.
Watchouts for 2026
- China Spring Festival can pause Japan-facing work for days.
- Japan Golden Week may sit near China’s Labour Day window → dual slowdown.
- China National Day is a major Mainland gap; Japan may still be partly online.
- Japanese year-end/New Year leave often differs from China’s short New Year break plus later Spring Festival.
Open China and Japan side by side, mark single-side vs dual-side weeks, and freeze scope changes 10 days before dual gaps.