Emergency Numbers in Japan: Call 110, 119, or 118?

Japan does not use one all-purpose number like 911 for every emergency. The practical rule is simple: 110 is police, 119 is fire or ambulance, and 118 is the Japan Coast Guard for incidents at sea. Save all three in your phone before the trip, but call the service that matches the immediate danger instead of spending time searching for a general help desk.

As checked on September 11, 2026, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) lists 110 for urgent police help and 119 for urgent fire or ambulance assistance. The Japan Coast Guard identifies 118 as its emergency reporting number for incidents and accidents at sea.

The one-minute decision

If two services may be needed, call the one connected to the most immediate danger. A traffic collision with injuries, for example, may require both an ambulance and police. Tell the first operator clearly that people are injured and that another emergency service may also be needed.

Do not delay a call while trying to choose perfectly. State what happened, where you are, and whether anyone is in immediate danger. The dispatcher can work from concrete facts more easily than from a long explanation.

Call 110 for urgent police help

Use 110 when the situation needs an immediate police response. Examples include violence or a threat happening now, a serious theft or intrusion in progress, or a road collision that requires urgent police attendance.

Losing an item after the danger has passed is different from witnessing a crime in progress. If you are safe and the issue is non-urgent, a nearby police box—called a kōban—or the staff at your station, hotel, or venue may be a better first step. The JNTO hotline can also help a visitor work out which local service to contact. Keeping emergency lines for genuine emergencies helps operators focus on immediate danger.

When you call, begin with the location. A full Japanese street address is useful, but you may not have one. Give the station name, hotel name, shop, attraction, road sign, platform number, or another visible landmark. Open your map and read the place name exactly as displayed. If you can safely approach a staffed counter, ask the employee to help explain the location.

A few simple words can establish the purpose of the call:

• Keisatsu onegai shimasu — Police, please.
• Jiken desu — It is an incident/crime.
• Kōtsū jiko desu — It is a traffic accident.

You do not need to construct a polished Japanese account. Short facts, a precise location, and answers to the operator’s questions are more useful.

Call 119 for fire or ambulance

Use 119 for a fire or when someone needs an ambulance because of serious illness or injury. Tell the operator which service you need first:

• Kaji desu — There is a fire.
• Kyūkyūsha onegai shimasu — An ambulance, please.

Then give the location and describe the immediate condition. Say whether the person is conscious, breathing, bleeding heavily, trapped, or exposed to an active hazard. Do not exaggerate or diagnose; report what you can directly observe.

If you are inside a hotel, station, restaurant, department store, or attraction, alert staff at the same time if it is safe to do so. They can provide the address, guide responders through the building, and explain access points. In a train station, the exit number can be more useful than only naming the station because large stations cover several blocks.

For a known medical condition, keep a short offline note with the person’s name, date of birth, allergies, medications, diagnosis, and emergency contact. Show it to responders rather than trying to translate everything under pressure. If food allergy is a concern, the site’s food allergy guide explains how to prepare an official Japanese communication sheet before travel.

Do not use the JNTO hotline instead of 119 when someone needs immediate medical help. The hotline offers assistance; it does not dispatch the local ambulance for you.

Call 118 for an emergency at sea

Use 118 for urgent maritime incidents handled by the Japan Coast Guard. The Coast Guard’s official guidance says the number is for incidents and accidents at sea and gives examples including maritime distress, a person involved in or witnessing an accident, suspected smuggling or poaching, oil discharge, and suspicious or drifting vessels.

For an ordinary traveler, the clearest decision rule is this: if the emergency is happening at sea or directly involves a vessel or person in maritime danger, call 118. A medical emergency on land remains a 119 matter.

The Coast Guard asks callers to report, calmly and briefly, when, where, and what happened. At sea, location is often the hardest part. Give the beach, island, harbor, tour operator, vessel name, visible landmark, or coordinates from your phone if available. Say how many people are involved and describe flotation devices, clothing, or the vessel without guessing about facts you cannot see.

If you are on a managed boat tour, alert the crew immediately. They have the vessel’s position and communications equipment. Calling independently may still be necessary if no responsible crew member can respond, but do not interfere with an evacuation or rescue instruction already in progress.

What to do when language is the problem

Do not assume that every emergency call will proceed entirely in English. JNTO says most organizations listed on its hotline page have English-speaking personnel, but availability can vary at the moment you call. Prepare for a conversation built from short words, place names, and observable facts.

Use this order:

1. Say the service: police, ambulance, fire, or Coast Guard.
2. Give the location.
3. Say what happened.
4. Say how many people are affected.
5. Answer questions and do not hang up until instructed.

Put your phone on speaker only if doing so is safe. A hotel employee, station attendant, shop worker, guide, or nearby Japanese speaker may be able to help, but do not spend critical minutes looking for an interpreter when someone is in immediate danger.

Screenshots help. Before the trip, save the Japanese name and address of each hotel. Keep your travel insurance details and emergency contact offline. On a day trip, take a screenshot of the route and destination so that you can identify your location even when mobile data is weak.

Use the JNTO hotline for support, not dispatch

JNTO operates the Japan Visitor Hotline at 050-3816-2787 within Japan and +81-50-3816-2787 from overseas. As checked on September 11, 2026, JNTO states that the line operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with support in English, Chinese, and Korean. It covers tourist information and assistance related to accidents, illness, emergencies, and natural disasters.

That makes it useful when you are safe but confused: you may need help identifying the appropriate organization, understanding disruption after a disaster, or finding a practical next step. It is not the number to call while a crime, fire, medical crisis, or maritime emergency is actively unfolding.

Store the hotline separately from 110, 119, and 118 so its role is clear. Phone-number availability and service details can change; recheck the official JNTO page shortly before departure.

Make a small emergency card before departure

A useful emergency note fits on one phone screen:

• 110 — police
• 119 — fire / ambulance
• 118 — Coast Guard / emergency at sea
• hotel names and addresses in Japanese;
• travel insurer’s assistance number and policy number;
• emergency contact;
• allergies, essential medication, and major medical conditions;
• JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline.

Also include your passport number in a secure record, but do not put a full passport image or sensitive account information on an unlocked screen. Share the basic plan with your travel companion. For broader arrival and preparation tasks, use the first-trip Japan checklist.

The goal is not to memorize a complicated system. It is to know the first correct action: 110 for police, 119 for fire or ambulance, and 118 for the sea. Everything else—translation, insurance, documentation, and follow-up—comes after immediate safety.