Sudden illness or injury — and you don't speak Japanese
Life-threatening: call 119 and say 'kyūkyū desu'. Not sure how serious it is: #7119 (Tokyo and many prefectures) or the 24-hour Japan Visitor Hotline in English. Bring your My Number card registered for health insurance, or your 資格確認書.
Do this first
If it is serious — chest pain, heavy bleeding, trouble breathing, unconsciousness — call 119, say 「救急です」 (kyūkyū desu), then your address slowly. Many dispatchers can add an interpreter; the ambulance is free.
Step by step
Step 1: Emergency: call 119
Say 「救急です」 (kyūkyū desu — ambulance), then the address, what happened, the patient's age and your phone number. Keep it slow and simple; in Tokyo and many other areas the dispatcher can connect a three-way interpreter in English and other languages. Stay on the line, unlock the door, and have the residence card and insurance card ready. The ambulance ride is free — you pay only for treatment at the hospital.
Official pageStep 2: Not sure if it is an emergency: #7119
#7119 is the emergency consultation line where nurses and doctors tell you whether to call an ambulance, go to a hospital now, or wait. It runs 24 hours in Tokyo and, as of late 2025, in about 40 regions covering most of the population — but not everywhere, and foreign-language support varies by region (Tokyo has listed Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean). If #7119 does not connect, Tokyo's direct lines are 03-3212-2323 (23 wards) and 042-521-2323 (Tama). Tokyo's web 'EMS Guide' in English gives the same triage online.
Official pageStep 3: Need English on the phone: three lines that help
Japan Visitor Hotline (050-3816-2787, 24 hours, English/Chinese/Korean) guides you through an emergency even though it is run for visitors. AMDA International Medical Information Center (0120-339-266 or 03-6233-9266, weekdays 10:00–16:00) finds hospitals that handle your language and offers remote medical interpreting. In Tokyo, 'Himawari' (03-5285-8181, every day 9:00–20:00, English/Chinese/Korean/Thai/Spanish) finds foreign-language clinics and explains the system.
Official pageStep 4: At the clinic or hospital: show your insurance
Since December 2025 the old paper health-insurance cards are no longer accepted. Show your My Number card registered as a health-insurance card (マイナ保険証), or the eligibility certificate (資格確認書) your insurer sends if you have not registered. With it you pay 30%; without it you are charged 100% and can usually claim the difference back from your insurer within two years, with receipts. Most hospitals have translation tablets; AMDA publishes multilingual medical questionnaires you can fill in beforehand.
Official pageStep 5: Find a clinic in your language for the follow-up
JNTO's 'Guide for when you are feeling ill' and the Japan Tourism Agency hospital search list institutions with foreign-language support; so do AMDA and Himawari. Your university health centre, your employer's occupational doctor and your embassy's doctor list are other good starting points. For a large hospital, a referral letter from a clinic avoids the extra non-referral fee.
Official pageStep 6: Afterwards: receipts, statements and insurance claims
Ask for the receipt (領収書) and the itemised statement (診療明細書) — you need both for private or travel insurance and for a reimbursement claim. If you have travel insurance from home, call its assistance line; it may have a cashless hospital network. Keep the discharge paper and any prescription in Japanese for the next doctor.
Who to contact
119 — Ambulance and fire
11924 hours; the ambulance is free
Japanese; interpreters can be added in Tokyo and many regions — say 'English' and wait
Website#7119 — Emergency consultation (should I call an ambulance?)
#711924 hours in Tokyo and about 40 regions; Tokyo fallback 03-3212-2323 (23 wards) / 042-521-2323 (Tama)
Mostly Japanese; Tokyo has listed English, Chinese and Korean — availability varies by region
WebsiteJapan Visitor Hotline (JNTO)
050-3816-278724 hours, every day
English, Chinese, Korean (and Japanese). Built for visitors, but it will help anyone in an emergency.
WebsiteAMDA International Medical Information Center
0120-339-266Weekdays 10:00–16:00 (also 03-6233-9266)
English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indonesian and easy Japanese — hospital search and remote medical interpreting
WebsiteHimawari — Tokyo medical information for foreign residents
03-5285-8181Every day 9:00–20:00 (Tokyo only)
English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Spanish
WebsiteYorisoi Hotline — free counselling line (press 2 for foreign languages)
0120-279-338Nationwide toll-free line for people in distress, including mental-health worries
English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Tagalog, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian
Website
What to bring
- My Number card registered as your health-insurance card (マイナ保険証) — or your 資格確認書
- Residence card (hospitals ask for ID)
- Cash or a credit card — some clinics do not take cards
- A list of your medications and allergies, ideally in Japanese or with the AMDA questionnaire
- Your phone with a translation app and an emergency contact's number
- Travel or private insurance details, if you have them
What to say at the counter
Tap copy and show the Japanese on your screen, or read the romaji aloud.
救急です。
Kyūkyū desu.
It is a medical emergency — ambulance, please.
住所は〇〇です。
Jūsho wa ○○ desu.
The address is ○○.
息ができません。胸が痛いです。
Iki ga dekimasen. Mune ga itai desu.
I cannot breathe. My chest hurts.
英語を話せる人はいますか。
Eigo o hanaseru hito wa imasu ka.
Is there someone who speaks English?
アレルギーがあります。
Arerugī ga arimasu.
I have an allergy.
マイナ保険証を持っています。
Maina hokenshō o motte imasu.
I have my My Number health-insurance card.
診療明細書と領収書をください。
Shinryō meisaisho to ryōshūsho o kudasai.
Please give me the itemised statement and the receipt.
Common pitfalls
- 110 is the police and 119 is the ambulance — under stress people mix them up; write 119 on your fridge.
- Do not skip the ambulance to save money: it is free, and with insurance you pay 30% of treatment.
- Walking into a large hospital without a referral letter usually adds a non-referral fee (often ¥7,700 or more) on top of treatment.
- If you never enrolled in National Health Insurance at the ward office, you pay full price — and enrolment is back-dated, premiums included, so do it now.
- Night and holiday visits carry surcharges; for anything that can wait until morning, #7119 or Himawari can point you to a daytime clinic.
Read next
Sources
- Tokyo Fire Department — English guide (119, #7119, EMS Guide)
- Tokyo Fire Department — Emergency Consultation Center #7119
- Fire and Disaster Management Agency — #7119 nationwide rollout
- JNTO — Japan Visitor Hotline
- JNTO — Emergencies and feeling ill in Japan
- AMDA International Medical Information Center
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government — Himawari medical information service for foreign patients
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — Proving insurance eligibility (マイナ保険証 / 資格確認書)
Checked on 12 October 2026. General information, not legal advice — offices differ and rules change, so confirm on the official page or by phone before you go.