Emergency Numbers for Japan
Unlike North America, where 911 is the number for all dire emergencies, in Japan, different telephone numbers are used for notifying Police (110) and Fire/Ambulance (119) during emergencies.
Contacting the Police (☎110)
If you are involved in a fender-bender or other minor traffic accident, you will need to notify the police who will document the event for legal and insurance purposes.
You would also dial 110 if you are the victim of, or otherwise need to report, a crime.
Quick Reference
| Police | 110 |
| Fire | 119 |
| Ambulance | 119 |
| Non-urgent Medical | #7119 |
| Coast Guard | 118 |
| Disaster Safety Confirmation | 171 |
| Report Child Abuse | 189 |
Fire Department or Ambulance (☎119)
In the event of a fire or medical emergency, dial 119.
While English (and a handful of other foreign languages) is supported (they will connect to a 3rd-party interpreter), this takes time. As such, it would be prudent to learn enough Japanese to let them know 火事です (kaji desu) for a fire and 救急 (Kyūkyū) when an ambulance is needed.
If you or someone is sick or injured but are unsure whether you need an ambulance, please call #7119.
Other Emergency Numbers
Trouble on the Water (☎118)
If you find yourself in trouble while at sea within Japanese waters, the emergency number to contact the Japanese Coast Guard is 118.
Disaster Line (☎171)
During disasters (such as earthquakes) 171 Disaster Line is a message board where you can record a voice message and have friends or family automatically notified. To record a voice message:
- dial 171
- then, dial 1 followed by the family member's phone number
To hear your message, the other party will need to:
- dial 171
- then, dial 2 and the their phone number
It should be noted that this service is only available to domestic (Japan) telephone numbers.
To notify overseas family of your safety status, you can post messages via NTT's Web 171 service.
That said, if you can connect to the internet for this service, then you can probably just pop off an email to your family and/or leave an "I'm safe..." message on Facebook or other social media.
Reporting Child Abuse (☎189)
189 is an emergency contact number for reporting child abuse. Use cases include when you see a child being abused, or even when you yourself abuse a child due to the stress of raising a child.
English Language Support
When contacting emergency services for Fire/Ambulance (119) or Police (110), the operator will answer in Japanese and may only understand that language. However, other languages are supported via 3rd-party interpreters (they will connect). Which languages are supported, is different depending on the municipality, but you can generally rest assured that English will be one of them.
Safeguard Yourself in Emergencies
(and receive support for other daily tasks as a short-term expat or traveler to Japan)
Japan 24-Hour Helpline is a service that offers interpretation and support for emergencies as well as a variety of other daily tasks that prove challenging to non-Japanese speakers.
The 24-Hour Helpline is a subscription service that gives added support needed during those challenging times, including:
- Emergency help provided by bilingual personnel
- Help with communicating with bank, post-office, or city office staff
- Help with urgent matters
- Interpretation services
- Help in sourcing important items
- General concierge services during office hours
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