Emergency numbers in Japan: 110, 119, #7119 and help in English

The emergency number in Japan is 119 for an ambulance or a fire, and 110 for the police, free from any phone. As of October 2026, the latest national survey shows 93.5% of fire departments can add a phone interpreter in at least English, Chinese and Korean, and Tokyo has English-speaking staff on duty. The ambulance ride is free.

Which emergency numbers should I save in Japan?

119 and 110 work from mobile phones, landlines and public phones. Osaka police note that a phone on global roaming may not be able to call 110, so get a Japanese SIM if you live here.

Can I call 119 or 110 in English?

Usually, yes. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency (総務省消防庁) reports that as of 1 January 2025, 673 of 720 fire departments use three-way interpretation (三者間同時通訳): you, the dispatcher and a phone interpreter on one call. All of them cover English, Chinese and Korean, and choose other languages locally.

In Tokyo, the Tokyo Fire Department (東京消防庁) keeps English-speaking staff at both of its 119 centers at all times. Since July 2017 it also uses an interpreter center for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. For other languages, the interpreter company helps where it can.

For 110, prefectural police connect an interpreter if they can’t understand you. Osaka and Kagoshima police both ask the same thing: don’t hang up while the interpreter joins. Connecting can take several tens of seconds, so stay on the line.

What do I say when I call 119?

The dispatcher answers: 「119、消防です。火事ですか、救急ですか？」 (“119, fire department. Fire or ambulance?”). Then they ask questions in a fixed order, and in serious cases the ambulance leaves before they finish.

Three more tips from the fire agency’s ambulance guide:

• Ask a Japanese speaker nearby to help with the call if one is there.
• Send someone outside to meet the ambulance and guide the crew in.
• Have ready: your passport, cash or a credit card for the hospital, and the medicine you take.

The agency’s Guide for Ambulance Services is free in 16 languages, including Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Burmese and Portuguese. It also lists signs that need an ambulance at once, such as sudden severe headache, a drooping face, slurred speech, chest pain, trouble breathing or unconsciousness.

What do I say when I call 110?

Tell the police whether it is a crime or a traffic accident, what happened and where you are. With a smartphone contracted in Japan, your GPS location is sent to the police automatically. Indoors, give your building name and room number.

On a road, look for the blue sticker marked “OPP” on a traffic signpost: Osaka police may ask for its number to find you. For a lost wallet or other non-urgent matter, go to a police box (交番, kōban) instead of calling 110.

Traffic accidents are one of the reasons Osaka police give for calling 110. Our guide to what to do after a car accident in Japan covers the next steps.

How much does an ambulance cost in Japan?

The ambulance ride is free. The fire agency’s guide says the service is available to anyone in Japan, and city fire departments such as Tokushima state there is no cost for an ambulance or fire truck. What you pay is the hospital bill, with your normal copay if you have Japanese health insurance.

There is one exception to know about. Some large hospitals charge a special fee (選定療養費, sentei ryōyōhi) when an ambulance patient turns out to be a mild case.

This fee is charged by the hospital, not by the fire department. Sakai City notes that the national fire agency has said ambulance charges need careful national debate.

As of October 2026, ambulance rides are not charged nationwide. Never let the fee stop you calling 119 in a real emergency.

What if I’m not sure I need an ambulance?

Call #7119 (救急安心センター事業). Doctors, nurses and paramedics advise you whether to call an ambulance, go to a hospital now or wait. If they think it is urgent, they transfer you to 119.

As of July 2026, #7119 runs in 42 areas. Most prefectures are covered, with these gaps:

• Only part of the prefecture: Hokkaido (Sapporo and nearby towns), Aichi (Nagoya only), Wakayama (Tanabe area).
• Not listed: Mie, Shimane, Saga, Miyazaki, Kagoshima. Some areas run a similar line under a different number, so check your city’s website.
• Hours differ: Tokyo, Osaka and many others are 24 hours. Some, such as Yamagata, Niigata and Kagawa, answer mainly in the evening and at night.

Many prefectures serve people around 15 and older at #7119.

For a younger child, call #8000, the children’s medical phone line (こども医療電話相談). It runs in all 47 prefectures, with hours set by each one. In Tokyo it is 18:00 to 8:00 on weekdays and 24 hours on Saturdays and holidays.

Where do I call the police if it’s not an emergency?

Dial #9110, the police advice line, for worries about safety in daily life that aren’t urgent. It connects to your prefecture’s police.

In Tokyo, the General Advisory Center also answers on 03-3501-0110 in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. It can refer you to specialist help, for example for stalking or domestic violence.

If you’ve just been a victim or seen a crime, call 110 instead. For fraud and fake-official calls, see scams in Japan.

Is the JNTO Visitor Hotline for residents?

The Japan Visitor Hotline (050-3816-2787) runs 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean. It is set up for tourists, and helps with illness, accidents and disasters.

As a resident, call 119 or 110 in an emergency. Use the advice lines above for anything else.

Which app should I install for earthquakes and disasters?

Safety Tips, from the Japan Tourism Agency (観光庁), sends earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings and weather warnings. Its own page says it is useful for residents as well as tourists. It works in 15 languages, including Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Burmese and Khmer.

After a big disaster, phone lines get busy. Dial 171 to leave a voice message of up to 30 seconds under your phone number, and family can play it back. You can try it on the 1st and 15th of each month, on 1 to 3 January, and during the disaster prevention weeks (15 to 21 January and 30 August to 5 September).

More on getting ready: earthquake and disaster preparedness for foreigners.

This page is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 119 or 110.

More guides

• English-speaking hospitals and clinics in Japan
• Earthquake and disaster preparedness
• What to do after a car accident
• Lost your residence card?