110, 119 and Ten Other Speed Dials

By Yuta Arai

911 is the emergency telephone number in the United States. In some U.S. cities, 311 is another speed dial that is also available. This is for non-emergency situations, and the same operator will respond with the understanding that the call has a lower priority.

I will introduce 12 speed dials that we have in Japan. There are two emergency numbers in Japan: 110 for police and 119 for fire, rescue and ambulance services. In addition to these two well-known dials, Japan also has other three-digit speed dials designed to allow for reaching services quickly. Truth be told, Japanese people never remember all of them.

Dialing 104 used to be a useful service when you knew the name and address of the person you wished to contact but didn't know their phone number. A telephone company would provide you with the phone number of the individual or company as listed in its directory. This service is still available but is no longer a major tool due to the ability for individuals to find such information through web searches and on their smartphones today.

Dialing 110 connects you to the police directly. Of course, it is one of the most recognized numbers in Japan.

Dialing 113 will connect you to the telephone service outage desk of your telephone company. You can report a phone outage there. It sounds a bit strange to think that using your phone to call 113 would work when your phone is out of order. Kids might believe that the telephone company uses magic to fix their phone problems remotely. However, the telephone company will advise you on repair methods and how to check line disconnections.

Dialing 115 will allow you to send a telegram. Dialing 116 connects you to your telephone company's consultation center for setting up a new telephone line or relocating an existing one. Dialing 117 will provide you with the current, accurate time. Before we readily had smartphone displays at our fingertips, it was common to set your watch by listening to the exact time on your phone.

Dialing 118 will directly call the Coast Guard. This is the emergency number for reporting maritime incidents and requesting rescue at sea. According to statics from the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), the JCG received 399,781 calls in 2024. Of those, 394,989 were invalid calls such as wrong, prank or silent calls. So, in fact 98.8% of calls were inconsequential. Conversely, many lives have been saved at sea by dialing 118 as an essential lifeline.

119 is the number to call for a fire engine or ambulance, which are separated from police services. This, along with 110 for police, is one of the numbers with the most familiarity among the Japanese population nationwide.

It would be useful if emergency speed dials were more widely recognized in Japan. While most people don't remember all of them, 171 is a particularly important one for Japanese people, who are often affected by disasters such as major earthquakes. When disasters occur, many people make simultaneous calls, making it difficult to get through on the phone. The Disaster Message Dial, 171, provides a means to record and play messages, allowing a place to discover whether family members are safe and confirm their locations during these difficult situations.

177 was discontinued in March 2025. This was a weather forecast service that provided a recorded and up-to-date weather forecast. As typhoons often approach Japan during the summer vacation season, this was a way to find out the weather at a travel destination. Older generations often speak of accidentally hearing the weather forecast when trying to find out the current time. The reverse was also true.

Finally, dialing 188 connects to the consumer affairs consultation service, and dialing 189 connects to the child consultation center, which handles child abuse.

Of the twelve described speed-dial numbers, 117 and 177 are notoriously the most confused with each other, and "What is the phone number for the weather forecast?" is a popular gag for many Japanese people. While Japan has many speed dial numbers for convenience and necessity, it's true that it can be difficult to remember them all. If you are traveling to Japan, try calling one of the speed dial numbers yourself, or try asking the above question to someone who has lived without a smartphone.

I hope you never have to call 110, 119 or 118 for the Coast Guard while visiting Japan.

Sources:

○NHK Enterprises, Inc.:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250403/k10014768771000.html

○NTT EAST, Inc.:

https://web116.jp/phone/telephone/

○Japan Coast Guard

https://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/r7/k250115/k250115.pdf