Emergency Procedures
1st step
In the event of an emergency such as sudden sickness, fire, accident or crime involvement, please dial the emergency numbers for help. First call the following numbers in case of emergency (Toll-free). Operator will connect you to an English speaking staff on duty, will arrange to facilitate communication in English. Fire Department can correspond in multiple languages (English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese).
If you are unsure when to call an ambulance, please visit the following link for guidelines by Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
https://www.fdma.go.jp/publication/portal/items/portal002_english.pdf
119 (Fire Department) Sudden sickness / injury / fire
110 (Police Department) Car accident / Crime / When you need a police officer immediately
2nd step
In case of a car accident or any problem with your vehicles (engine, flat tire etc), please contact your insurance company. (OIST strongly recommend ACE Insurance that provides 24/7 English response service ).
3rd step
If you are taken to a hospital by ambulance and need an interpreter, please call OIST Help Line 098-966-8989.
KOBAN (small neighborhood police station)
Your best resource for contacting the police, getting directions if you are lost, or for reporting a lost or stolen item, is your nearest KOBAN（交番）.
* about Police Stations/Police Boxes
In Japan, police operate out of large police stations as well as smaller police boxes called “koban”. If you want to report an accident, need directions, or have other emergency related questions, you can go to the “koban” for guidance. You can also report a loss or theft of an item, but some “koban”s are too small to obtain the necessary seals, so going to a regular police station is recommended. Police stations are also where you will need to go to update changes in address on a driver’s license or change a name after you are married.