English-speaking hospitals and clinics in Japan: how to find one and what it costs

To find a hospital or clinic in Japan that sees patients in English, search JNTO’s Medical Institution Search or the health ministry’s ナビイ with the foreign-language filter, or in Tokyo call 03-5285-8181 (English, daily 9:00 to 20:00). As of October 2026, with Japanese public health insurance you pay 30% of the bill. Start at a local clinic: large hospitals add ¥7,000 or more on a first visit without a referral letter.

Do doctors in Japan speak English?

Some do, but no official count exists. The finders below list the languages each clinic says it supports. JNTO’s own search warns that some institutions may not be able to handle every language, and that you should contact the clinic before you go.

So the practical answer is: search by language, then phone the clinic to confirm before your visit. If nobody answers in English, the phone services below can help.

How do I find an English-speaking hospital or clinic?

There are four official or nonprofit tools.

JNTO’s search is built for tourists, but residents can use it too. It marks two kinds of prefecture-selected “base” institutions for foreign patients: Category 1 hospitals take foreign emergency patients who need admission, and Category 2 covers clinics and dental clinics that see foreign patients. It shows up to 30 results at a time.

ナビイ replaced web searches like Tokyo’s old ひまわり site, which closed on 31 March 2024. Open “Other Languages” at the top right to switch to English, then use the detailed search (じっくり探す) and pick 外国語. Some city pages still mention the ひまわり website; the phone service still runs.

JMIP (外国人患者受入れ医療機関認証制度) is a certification for medical institutions with systems for foreign patients, run by the Japan Medical Education Foundation as a third party. You can filter for it in JNTO’s search, or browse the certified list by prefecture. It shows the institution has systems for foreign patients, such as multilingual guidance. It doesn’t guarantee that every doctor speaks English.

Can I get an interpreter at a Japanese clinic?

AMDA offers phone interpretation during your visit. Book ahead, pick a day when AMDA covers your language (the languages change by day of the week), and check with the clinic first that it accepts a phone interpreter. AMDA stays neutral: it interprets, it doesn’t argue for the patient or the clinic.

For how the card works, see the My Number Card as your health insurance card.

How much does a hospital visit cost in Japan for foreigners?

With Japanese public health insurance, through work or National Health Insurance, the share you pay at the counter is set by age:

Example: a visit billed at ¥10,000 costs you ¥3,000 at 30%. Insurance pays the other ¥7,000.

Without Japanese public insurance, insurance pays nothing, so you pay the full bill yourself. Ask the clinic for an estimate before treatment.

Big bills have a monthly cap. The high-cost medical expense benefit (高額療養費) limits what you pay per month based on your income. From August 2026 to July 2027, for under-70s earning about ¥3.7 million to ¥7.7 million a year, the cap is ¥85,800 plus 1% of the bill above ¥286,000. On a ¥1,000,000 hospital bill, you pay ¥92,940 instead of ¥300,000. Up to about ¥3.7 million, the cap is ¥61,500; with no resident tax, ¥36,900. The brackets are split further from August 2027.

Why do large hospitals charge an extra fee without a referral?

The health ministry wants patients to start at a local clinic. So certain large hospitals must charge a special fee (特別の料金) on top of your normal copay when you come without a referral letter (紹介状). This is a form of selected care (選定療養). The amounts below are unchanged in the FY2026 fee revision.

It applies at advanced treatment hospitals (特定機能病院), such as university hospitals, and at regional medical support hospitals (地域医療支援病院) and referral-focused hospitals (紹介受診重点医療機関) with 200 or more general beds. The amounts are minimums: a hospital can charge more.

For what to do in an emergency, see emergency numbers in Japan.

How do I find an English-speaking dentist in Japan?

Use the same tools. In JNTO’s search, pick the Oral Health department and your language. ナビイ includes dental clinics and the same foreign-language filter, and JNTO’s Category 2 base institutions include dental clinics.

Three cost points for dental care:

• The copay is the same: 30% for ages 6 to 69 with public insurance.
• Some work costs extra. The ministry lists dental gold alloys and full metal-base dentures (金属床総義歯) as selected care that you pay a special fee for, alongside the insured part. Ask the dentist which parts are covered by insurance (保険診療) and which are self-paid (自費) before treatment starts.
• Large hospital dental departments charge at least ¥5,000 extra on a first visit without a referral, as in the table above.

This page is general information, not medical advice. For questions about your own bill or coverage, ask your insurer or your city’s health insurance counter.

More guides

• National Health Insurance for foreigners: who must join and what it costs.
• Prescription medicine in Japan: what happens at the pharmacy after your visit.
• Health checkups in Japan
• Emergency numbers in Japan