Japan's Emergency Numbers
Japan has several emergency numbers, each covering a different kind of situation. Knowing what each one is for lets you report quickly and accurately when it matters. Emergency calls are free of charge and can be placed from landlines, mobile phones, and public phones.
Knowing how to use these numbers correctly is part of protecting yourself and the people around you. Go over the calling procedure while things are calm, so that you can act without panicking in an emergency.
Each Number's Role and Calling Procedure
110 - Police Emergency
Use 110 to report crimes, traffic accidents, and suspicious persons. The call connects to the communications command center of the nearest prefectural police headquarters, which dispatches patrol cars and officers. The operator will ask "Is this an incident or an accident?", so describe the situation concisely.
A fair number of calls to 110 turn out to be non-urgent consultations or misdials. Remember the split: anything that is not a crime or an accident belongs to the police consultation line (#9110). Using it keeps 110 free for genuine emergencies.
119 - Fire and Ambulance
Use 119 to report fires and to request an ambulance. The operator will ask "Is this a fire or a medical emergency?", so state the situation clearly. When requesting an ambulance, describe the patient's condition - whether they are conscious, whether they are breathing, and how badly they are bleeding.
An ambulance is dispatched after your call, so it takes time to arrive. While you wait, the dispatcher may talk you through first aid. You can be guided through the steps of CPR and how to use an AED over the phone, so follow the instructions even if you are not confident.
118 - Japan Coast Guard
Use 118 for accidents and incidents at sea - vessels in distress, ocean accidents, poaching, and marine pollution. The call connects to the regional Coast Guard headquarters, which dispatches patrol vessels and aircraft.
What to Communicate When Calling
- Location: The address, a landmark building, or an intersection name - be as specific as you can. If you do not know the address, describe nearby signs or building names
- Situation: Briefly explain what is happening (an accident, a fire, a sudden illness). For a crime, add the suspect's description and the direction they fled
- Injuries: How many people are hurt and in what condition (conscious or not, bleeding, able to walk)
- Your details: Your name and a contact number. You may get a callback for further details, so give them accurately
Calling from a Mobile Phone
When you call 110 or 119 from a mobile phone, your location is passed to the answering point. The mechanism has been required since April 2007 under the ministerial rules on telecommunications facilities for business use: if your handset supports GPS location notification and GPS is available, the position measured by GPS is sent; otherwise a position calculated from the base station location and similar data is sent. Indoors, underground, or where reception is poor the margin of error grows, so treat the notified position as an approximation. If you can state the address or a nearby landmark out loud, that is the most reliable option.
After calling, keep your phone switched on so you can answer a callback. The dispatcher may ask for more information or give you instructions until help arrives. A call from a mobile phone can also be routed to a command center outside the local jurisdiction, which makes communicating the address accurately even more important.
Other Important Consultation Lines
- #9110 (Police Consultation): For non-urgent consultations and concerns about everyday safety
- #7119 (Emergency Consultation Center Program): For when you are unsure whether to call an ambulance. Doctors and nurses respond
- #8000 (Pediatric Emergency Advice): For sudden illness or injury in children. Pediatricians and nurses respond
- 188 (Consumer Hotline): For consumer problems and damage from unscrupulous sales practices
- 189 (Nationwide Child Guidance Center Line): For reporting child abuse and for consultations about raising children
What to Do If You Call by Mistake
If you dial 110 or 119 by mistake, do not hang up - say so. Hanging up in silence can be read as a sign that something is wrong, and officers or an ambulance crew may be sent out. Saying "I made a mistake" is enough to prevent an unnecessary dispatch. Deliberately reporting an incident that never happened is a different matter: it can be treated as obstruction of business by deception (Article 233 of the Penal Code, punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 500,000 yen). Since an honest slip and a false report are two different things, correcting yourself is always the better choice.
Historical Background
Japan's emergency call system began in 1948 with the introduction of 110 for police reports, and the number was unified nationwide in 1954. 119, used for fire and ambulance calls, is older still: it dates from 1927. 118 began operating in 2000 for reports to the Japan Coast Guard. Assigning short, memorable three-digit numbers by purpose is an idea shared across countries, but the actual digits differ from one to the next. Japan's 110 and 119 will not necessarily work abroad, so it is worth checking emergency numbers around the world before you travel.
Connecting emergency calls is an obligation placed on telecommunications carriers that provide voice telephone service, under the Telecommunications Business Act and its associated rules. You can call free of charge from a landline, a mobile phone, or a public phone, and public phones need neither coins nor a prepaid card. The obligation does not extend to every telephone service, though. You cannot reach 110 or 119 from an IP phone with an 050 number or from a calling app, while IP phone services that use numbers beginning with an area code (0AB-J numbers), such as Hikari Denwa, do support emergency calls. Check your contract documents or your provider's guidance to see whether your own line can place emergency calls.
Practical Advice for Emergencies
Anyone can be rattled in an emergency, but conveying information calmly is what brings help faster. Keep the following points in mind day to day.
Preparation
- Memorize your home address: In a panic you may not be able to recall even your own address. Saving it in your phone's notes app gives you a fallback
- Know the landmarks around you: In case you ever have to call while out, get into the habit of noting nearby convenience stores, intersections, and building names
- Learn the basics of first aid: Knowing CPR and how to use an AED makes it far easier to follow the dispatcher's instructions after a 119 call
During the Call
Answer the dispatcher's questions as accurately as you can. If you do not know something, it is perfectly fine to say so. The most important thing is not to hang up. Stay on the line until the dispatcher has everything they need, and follow any further instructions.
Public Phones and Emergency Calls
Public phones can reach 110 and 119 without coins or a phone card. Lift the receiver first; on models with a red emergency button, press it and then dial. On models without the button, simply lift the receiver and dial. During a disaster, public phones are given priority connection even when ordinary lines are congested, which makes them an important fallback. Why public phones remain the last lifeline in a disaster is covered in a separate article. Their placement is maintained to a standard of roughly one phone in every 1km square in built-up areas and one in every 2km square elsewhere, precisely so that a way to call remains when mobile phones cannot be used.
Smartphone Emergency SOS Features
Both iPhone and Android handsets have an Emergency SOS feature that you trigger with a set action, such as pressing the power button several times in a row. The exact action, and whether your emergency contacts are notified and your location shared automatically, depend on the model and its settings, so check what your own phone does while things are calm. On either platform you can tap "Emergency" on the lock screen to dial 110 or 119 directly. Setting up Emergency SOS on a child's smartphone is worth doing as a family safety measure too.
Emergency SOS will not do its job unless you set it up in advance. In your phone's settings app, open the Emergency SOS (safety and emergency) section and check your registered emergency contacts and whether automatic calling is on. If accidental calls worry you, this is also where you can adjust that behavior.
Emergency Calls During Disasters
Right after a major disaster, phone lines become congested and 110 and 119 can be hard to reach. In that situation, make use of the alternatives below.
- Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171): A service for recording and playing back messages about your safety. Dial 171 and follow the voice guidance
- Disaster message boards: A service for posting and viewing safety information over the internet. Each carrier provides its own
- Social media: Post your status on X (formerly Twitter) or LINE. Text-based communication puts less load on the network than voice calls
- Emergency alerts: Municipal disaster radio and the emergency alert mail your carrier sends (Area Mail) are important sources of information as well
Go over how to use the emergency numbers from time to time, so that you are ready to respond quickly and appropriately when the moment comes.