Emergency calling is a system for reporting incidents, accidents, fires, and medical emergencies to police, fire, and rescue services by phone. Japan's primary emergency numbers are 110 (police), 119 (fire/ambulance), and 118 (coast guard). All are toll-free and available 24/7/365.
Emergency calls have special mechanisms not found in regular calls. When dialing 110 or 119 from a mobile phone, GPS data is automatically transmitted to the receiving center (Emergency Call Location Notification System). Even with number withholding enabled, caller ID is always transmitted during emergency calls. Emergency calls also receive priority routing during network congestion or outages.
VoIP and IP phone services have limitations for emergency calls. 050-number IP phones generally cannot dial 110 or 119. Hikari Denwa (0AB-J numbers) supports emergency calls but may have lower location accuracy than mobile phones. App-based calls (LINE, etc.) cannot reach emergency services, so always use standard phone lines in emergencies.
Non-emergency consultation lines include police consultation (#9110), consumer hotline (188), child consultation (189), and emergency medical advice (#7119). Using these for non-urgent matters keeps emergency lines clear for genuine emergencies. See emergency number guide for when to use each number.