Do you know how to call an ambulance, fire department or how to contact the police if you suddenly become ill, suffer from a fire or an accident?
To protect your family, including yourself, it is very important to know beforehand where and how to contact in case of emergency. In this video, we will show you how to precisely convey information to the police and fire department in case of emergency.
Emergency call phone number
Emergency call numbers are decided according to the following five cases. All are available 24 hours.
- In case of traffic accident: 110 (police)
- In case of crime/incident: 110 (police)
- When you need an ambulance, such as sudden illness or injury: 119 (fire department)
- For fire: 119 (fire department)
- In case of a sea accident: 118 (Coast Guard)
Phones that can make an emergency call
For numbers 110 (police) and 119 (fire department) you can either call from public phone, landline phone, mobile phone, or PHS.
In case of a public phone, you can press the “emergency call button”, no need for coins or cards. Pick up the handset, press the red “emergency call button”, then dial “119” “110”.
Police: 110 call flow
When reporting to the police, call the number 110 (Hyakutouban)
The police officer will ask the following questions, please stay calm and answer.
- Anata wa nanigo wo hanashimasuka? (What language do you speak?)
- Jikendesu ka? Jikodesu ka? Nanika arimashita ka? (Is it na incident? Is it an accident? What happened?)
- Kega wa arimasu ka? (Are there any injuries?)
- Basho wa doko desuka? (Where is the place?)
- Itsu okimashitaka? (When did it happen?)
- Hannin o miemashitaka? (Did you see the culprit?)
- Ima dou natteimasuka? (What’s going on now?)
- Anata no namae o oshiete kudasai (Please, tell me your name)
If you got involved in a traffic accident, became a victim of snatching or burglary, as well as violence, stalking, harrasments from gangsters, etc., please consult the nearest police station as soon as possible. If it’s an emergency, call 110.
Fire department: 119 call flow
When informing the fire department, call 119 (Hyaku jukyu ban). When you dial 119, the officer will ask you a few questions. Please do not panic, stay calm and answer the questions.
| Fire department | Caller |
| 119 fire department. Is it a fire? Is it an emergency? | It’s a fire. |
| Please tell me the address. | The address is ○○cho 1-chome 2-ban 3-go. |
| Is there some kind of landmark (buildings that stand out) nearby? | It is next to the library. |
| What is on fire? | My house next to the library is on fire. |
| Please, tell me your name and current phone number. | My name is Shobo Hanako, my number is 123-4567. |
| Ok, we’re on our way. Are you ok? Please evacuate to a safer place. | Ok, got it. |
During fire and emergency, the vehicle that they will send out is different. In case of fire, clearly say “kaji desu.” In case of illness or injury, clearly say “kyukyu desu.”
Depending on the magnitude of the fire or accident, they may send out an additional ladder car or a rescue car. Please state the situation of the fire and accidents as accurate and easy to understand as possible.
After sending the vehicle, they may call back. Please do not turn off the phone you used for reporting.
Points to keep in mind when reporting
In case of emergency, crimes, fire, traffic accident or burglary, call the emergency number calmly without panicking. When reporting and you do not know the address of your current location, it may take some time for the police and fire fighters to arrive. Give the address correctly and explain the situation as much as possible. Also, if you let them know of a conspicuous buildings and direction like “It is ○ ○ of ○ ○ school”, it becomes easier to understand.
Currently, correspondence between police and fire department is in Japanese only. When reporting, it is important to communicate clearly and say where and what happened. If you can not speak Japanese, let people who can speak Japanese help you.
Emergency calls (110 and 119) are numbers for seeking help in case of emergency. Please do not use it for consultations and inquiries.
*Reference*
https://www.police.pref.mie.jp/index.php
