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What do if there was an emergency in Japan?

How to contact the police and emergency services in Japan.

If you are involved in an incident or become ill in Japan, will let you know how to make an emergency call.

Please refer to this article so that you can deal with emergencies without panicking.

To call the police in Japan

If any of the following situations occur in your immediate area, call the police.

・Case of involved in an incident or accident.

・Case of witnessed an incident or accident.

・Case of have had an accident.

To call the police when you encounter these situations, dial "110".

When you call the police, please give them the following information.

・Reason for calling. (Circumstances of the accident or incident)

・Where the incident or accident took place.

・Landmarks in the field.

・Your name

The police may only be able to provide telephone information in Japanese.

If you cannot communicate, ask a nearby Japanese person to take over the call for you.

It usually takes 3-15 minutes for the police to arrive at the scene.

To call the emergency services in Japan

If any of the following situations occur in your immediate area, call the emergency service.

・Case of someone is injured because of the incident.

・Case of the event of an accident.

・Case of you find a sick person.

・Case of you are injured to the extent that you cannot move on your own.

・Case of you become too sick to move on your own.

・Case of witness a fire.

・Case of the event of a fire accident.

・Case of you are involved in a disaster.

To call the emergency services when you encounter these situations, dial "119".

When you call the emergency service, please give them the following information.

・Reason for calling. (Circumstances of the accident or incident)

・Where the incident or accident took place.

・Landmarks in the field.

・Your name

The emergency services, like the police, may only speak Japanese.

If you cannot communicate, ask a Japanese person nearby to take over the call.

The Japanese emergency services also act as firefighters.

When you call "119", the first thing you will hear is,

"Is there a fire? Is it an emergency?"

Please answer appropriately.

The emergency service team will arrive at the scene in 3-15 minutes.

How to talk to someone about a problem.

If you are not sure whether or not to report a crime, or if you have any problems, go to a police box.

In Japanese, "koban(交番)" is police box.

Police boxes are a little hard to find because of the various shapes of the buildings.

There are several police officers inside, so talk to them.

They can help the following cases.

・Case of not sure whether to call "110" or "119".

・If you get lost.

・If you lose something.

・Case of find a suspicious object.

・Case of find a suspicious person.

For example, one of the most common things that happens when you are traveling is that you lose your wallet or cell phone.

In Japan, you can pick it up at police box in about 2-3 days from the day you lose it.

Try visiting a police box near the place where you lost it.

There is a 70% chance that the lost item will be delivered to a police box by a passerby.

Also, be aware that the police box in the countryside close at night.

If you go to a police box in the middle of the night and no police officer is available, you can use the handset outside the box to talk to a police officer at a nearby police station.

If there is no receiver set up, wait until the police station opens in the morning or call "110" in case of emergency.

Useful Japanese phrases

You can learn useful and basic Japanese.

●警察 [keisatsu]

　Meaning : Police

●救急 [kyukyu]

　Meaning : Emergency services

●消防 [shoubou]

　Meaning : Firefighting

●事故 [jiko]

　Meaning : Incidents

●事件 [jiken]

　Meaning : Accidents

If there's any other Japanese you'd like to know, just ask in the comments or on Twitter（@The_ROJ）!