The Asian FOREX session begins at 9:00 a.m. on Monday and ends at 18:00 p.m. by Japanese Standard Time (JST). Traders in London who wish to follow the Asian session in real-time will have to get up at 00:00 (GMT) and stay up until 09:00 (GMT). Keep in mind that the foreign exchange market is open 24 hours a day, so official opening times are arbitrary. The Asian session, however, is generally believed to begin when Tokyo banks go online, due to the large number of trades they enable. The first substantial financial centres to open for business are in New Zealand and Sydney, Australia.