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Before You Go · Published 2026-09-29 · Updated 2026-09-29

Facts last checked 2026-09-29 · Next review 2027-03-01

Getting sick in Japan as a visitor: who to call, how to find a hospital, and why insurance matters

The emergency numbers, the official tool for finding a hospital that speaks your language, and what Japan's health ministry says about travel insurance. All from official Japanese government pages.

A street with a pharmacy and a parked bicycle
Photo: Kevin Fabert / Pexels

Nobody plans to get sick on holiday. But if you do, the first hour is easier if you already know three things: which number to call, how to find a hospital that can help you in your language, and how you will pay. Everything below comes from official Japanese government and JNTO pages.

Emergency numbers

From JNTO's guide for visitors who feel ill:

  • 119: fire department and ambulance. For fires, traffic accidents, and when someone is seriously sick or injured.
  • 110: police. For traffic accidents and crimes. The Tokyo police say they can respond in English.
  • Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO): 050-3816-2787 (from abroad +81-50-3816-2787), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English, Chinese and Korean.

JNTO's guide includes a sentence you can show to someone nearby so they call an ambulance for you:

救急車を呼んでください。 (Please call an ambulance.)

It also notes that you cannot choose which hospital the ambulance takes you to.

Finding a hospital or clinic that speaks your language

JNTO runs a medical institution search in its guide. You choose the area, language and medical department. JNTO adds some cautions:

  • It shows only basic information. Check hours and languages with the hospital itself.
  • Contact the hospital before you go, when you can.
  • There may be cases where treatment cannot be provided, and you may be referred to another hospital.

The search also marks hospitals chosen by prefectures to accept foreign patients, including ones that can take foreign emergency patients who need to stay in hospital.

Minor problems: JNTO notes that some medicines at pharmacies cannot be bought when the pharmacist is not there. Ask a pharmacist or registered sales clerk if you are not sure what to buy.

Why the health ministry asks you to buy insurance

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has a page addressed to international visitors. It says:

  • If you are injured or fall ill and need treatment in Japan, medical expenses can be very costly.
  • Failure to pay medical fees may result in stricter immigration procedures on future visits.
  • It strongly recommends private health insurance with sufficient coverage.

JNTO's guide adds that travel insurance does not cover perinatal (pregnancy-related) medical care, which can be expensive.

We have not measured what treatment costs in Japan, so we will not give example bills. The government's message is simply: do not travel uninsured.

You can still buy insurance after you arrive

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) surveyed visitors about medical care and insurance (results published in 2024, for fiscal 2023). Among its findings:

  • Common reasons for not buying insurance were a short stay and confidence in one's own health.
  • A travel insurance product for visitors, promoted by JNTO and at major airports, can be bought online within five days after entering Japan. It covers medical costs up to 10 million yen and includes services such as interpretation and help arranging cashless payment.
  • Only 5% of respondents had bought this after-arrival insurance. Of those who had not bought it and did not know about it, about 30% said they would probably have bought it if they had known.

So if you arrived without insurance, it is not too late for a few days.

A short checklist before you fly

  1. Buy travel insurance with medical cover, and save the policy number and hotline in your phone.
  2. Save 119, 110 and the Japan Visitor Hotline number.
  3. Bookmark JNTO's medical institution search.

Sources