In Japan, 119 is an emergency number that can be dialed for free from any phone. It connects the caller to the fire and emergency medical services. Unlike other countries, this service only connects to the fire or ambulance services. If you need to contact the police, you must use a separate emergency number, 110. More than 90% of departments in Japan use three-way call services to communicate in English and other foreign languages. A three-way call service allows an emergency caller, a translator, and an emergency operator to communicate simultaneously on the same phone call. So you can most likely call and ask for English and get someone, but it will take more time. Communicating in Japanese will speed things up for you.
Calling for Help
| Emergency service | Phone Number |
|---|---|
| Police | call 110 |
| Fire Department | |
| Ambulance | call 119 |
During an emergency call, clearly state what you need, what happened, where you are, and who you are. Call 110 for police, 119 for fire or ambulance. Be specific about the situation. You will be asked to give your accurate address, name, and phone number. Be prepared to speak clearly, in Japanese if required, when requesting emergency assistance by phone in Japan.
Your Location
The emergency operator needs to know your location to send help. Landline phones provide an address, but cellular phones don’t. The operator will likely confirm the automatically generated address if calling from a landline phone, but you will need to communicate your location if not.
Basic Vocabulary
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| fire | kaji desu |
| car accident | jidousha jiko desu |
| ambulance | kyuu kyuu desu |
| police | keisatsu desu |
| please call an ambulance! | kyuu kyuu sha o yonde kudasai |
| Please call the fire department! | shobosha o yonde kudasai |
| please call the police! | keisatsu o yonde kudasai |
| bleeding | shukketsu desu |
| broken bone | koussetsu desu |
| burn | hidoi yakedo desu |
| difficulty breathing | kokyuu konnan desu |
| convulsions | keiren desu |
| chest pains | mune ga taihen kurushii desu |
| high fever | kou netsu desu |
| injury | kega desu |
| poison | dokubutsu desu |
| sick | byouki desu |
| unconscious | ishiki fumei desu |
Image: Ypy31, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
