Safety & Emergency
Tokyo is a low-crime city, but visitors still need a plan for emergencies, natural hazards, heat and lost property. Save the key contacts before you need them and know which official information to trust when something changes quickly.
Current alert — 8 September 2026: Tokyo's official visitor site is warning about heavy rain and high waves, while a Level-5 landslide emergency was issued for Niijima in the Izu Islands on 7 September. Central Tokyo and the Izu Islands are not under the same warning. Read today's traveller alert →
Tokyo is low-crime, not risk-free
Tokyo is a comparatively low-crime major city, but the useful safety advice is more specific than ‘Japan is safe’. Visitors still lose phones and passports, leave bags unattended, encounter nightlife touts, become ill in summer heat and get caught by rail disruption during earthquakes or typhoons. Preparation is mostly about knowing who to call and where to get reliable information.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police specifically warns visitors about luggage theft and pick-pocketing and advises keeping bags close and closed. Normal city habits still apply: keep control of valuables, do not follow aggressive touts into unknown bars, and do not assume a quiet street or crowded train makes theft impossible.
Emergency numbers: 110 police, 119 fire or ambulance
Call 110 for an urgent police response to a crime or accident. Tokyo Metropolitan Police says #9110 is available for non-emergency police consultation and has English support. For fire or ambulance, call 119. If you are in a hotel, station, restaurant or shop and communication is difficult, staff can often help place the call and explain the location.
JNTO’s Japan Visitor Hotline is the useful traveller-specific backup: 050-3816-2787 in Japan or +81-50-3816-2787 from overseas. JNTO says it operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, supporting English, Chinese and Korean for emergencies, accidents, illness, natural disasters and general tourist assistance. Save it before you need it.
If an earthquake starts while you are indoors
Earthquakes can happen with little warning. JNTO’s current guidance for visitors is to protect your head, ensure your immediate safety and follow staff instructions after the shaking stops. At a hotel or accommodation, the Safety Tips guidance says to shelter under a durable table where possible, then check exits after the tremor and follow the property’s instructions rather than rushing outside during the shaking.
Stay away from windows, shelves and objects that can fall. In a station or train, hold on, protect your head and follow staff instructions after the vehicle stops; do not climb down onto railway tracks on your own. After a strong earthquake, expect aftershocks and disrupted rail services.
Tsunami risk is about location, not whether you are “in Tokyo”
Most central sightseeing neighbourhoods are not beachfront resort areas, but Tokyo has waterfront zones and many visitors take coastal day trips. If you are near the coast when a strong or prolonged earthquake occurs, pay attention immediately to tsunami warnings and local evacuation instructions. JNTO and Japanese disaster guidance emphasise moving to safer or higher ground when a tsunami threat applies rather than waiting beside the water to see what happens.
Do not use social-media video as your primary warning system. Japan Meteorological Agency information, local authority alerts and the official Safety Tips/Japan Safe Travel services are the right sources during an active event.
Typhoons and heavy rain: the main problem for a Tokyo itinerary is transport disruption
A typhoon does not need to pass directly over central Tokyo to affect flights and trains. Operators may reduce or suspend services in advance, and heavy rain can disrupt local travel. If a storm is forecast during your trip, move important intercity or airport journeys earlier when sensible, keep your phone charged and check your airline and rail operator rather than assuming the published timetable will hold.
The Japan Meteorological Agency provides multilingual weather, heavy-rain, high-temperature, earthquake, tsunami and volcano information. JNTO’s Safety Tips app can push earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings and other weather warnings in multiple languages. Those are far more useful than a generic weather app when disruption becomes serious.
Summer heat is a genuine health risk
Tokyo summers can be hot, humid and difficult even for people used to warm weather. Heat illness often comes from a long sightseeing day rather than one dramatic exposure: kilometres of walking, station stairs, queues and direct sun add up. Tokyo Metropolitan Government advises effective use of air conditioning, drinking water and replacing salt and minerals during severe heat.
Plan indoor breaks, use shade, carry water and slow the itinerary when heat warnings are elevated. Children, older travellers and people with relevant medical conditions need more conservative pacing. If someone is confused, collapses or cannot cool down, treat it as a medical emergency rather than trying to push through to the next attraction.
Lost property: start where you lost it
Japan’s lost-property system works best when you report the item quickly and to the organisation that controls the place where it disappeared. If you leave something on a train or in a station, start with that railway operator or station staff. If you lose something on the street, a nearby koban (police box) is a sensible first stop.
Record useful identifying details before reporting: phone model and case, bag colour, train line, direction, approximate car, station and time. For a lost passport, contact police and your embassy or consulate. Do not rely on the reputation that ‘everything comes back’ — some items never do, and fast reporting improves the odds.
Nightlife, touts and drink-related trouble
Tokyo nightlife districts are busy and generally manageable, but visitors should be cautious with street touts promising unusually cheap drinks, special clubs or ‘no cover’ deals. The safest approach is to choose a venue independently, confirm pricing before ordering and leave if staff pressure you to hand over a card or accompany them elsewhere.
Alcohol also changes otherwise low-risk situations: missed last trains, lost phones, falls on station stairs and arguments with staff become more likely late at night. Keep enough battery and money to get back to your accommodation, and know that the rail network closes overnight.
Medical help and travel insurance
For a serious or time-critical medical problem, call 119 for an ambulance. For less urgent care, JNTO’s emergency resources link to Japan Tourism Agency information for finding medical institutions that can assist foreign visitors. Your hotel can also help locate a suitable clinic.
Travel insurance is worth arranging before departure, especially if your domestic health cover does not extend overseas. Keep your insurer’s assistance number and policy details offline. If you have a known condition, carry a concise medication list and relevant medical information; that is more useful in an emergency than having it buried in an email account you cannot access.
A simple disaster-ready setup takes five minutes
You do not need an emergency bunker plan for a holiday. You do need enough preparation to avoid being information-blind if trains stop or a warning arrives.
- Install or bookmark JNTO Safety Tips / Japan Safe Travel information.
- Save 110, 119 and the JNTO Visitor Hotline offline.
- Keep a small power bank charged on long sightseeing days.
- Know your hotel address and nearest station in Japanese as well as English.
- On arrival, glance at your hotel’s emergency exit route rather than discovering it during an alarm.
- If authorities or transport staff give instructions during a disaster, follow them instead of improvising a shortcut.
Official sources checked for this guide
Reviewed 30 August 2026. During an actual emergency, use live official warnings rather than this evergreen planning summary.