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#7119 Japan: Non-Emergency Medical Advice

#7119 is Japan's nurse triage line, the number to call when you wonder whether a sudden illness or injury rates an ambulance.12 Nurses listen, judge urgency, and route you to 119, a clinic, or self-care with a morning visit.13

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at your prefecture's #7119 guidance page and your municipal fire department site.

Overview​

Dial # (sharp) plus 7119 from a mobile phone on a major carrier when the situation is concerning but not obviously an emergency.3 The line exists for the ambiguity zone: symptoms that frighten you but do not clearly threaten life or limb.2

This article owns the call mechanics: when the line fits, how triage works, prefecture coverage and fallback numbers, and language limits. The medical-decision side (how to judge urgency yourself, ER tiers, hospital flow) belongs to the healthcare pillar counterpart linked at the end. Here, the mechanics of reaching a nurse fast.

When #7119 Is the Right Call​

The line answers one question: should I call an ambulance.23 Everything else follows from the nurse's read.

Concerning but not immediately critical​

Call #7119 for sudden illness or injury where the right move is unclear: a fever that will not break, pain with no clear cause, a minor head strike, a fall with confusing symptoms.3 The nurse's routing covers the full spread: call 119 now, go to a hospital now, apply first aid this way, or see one of these medical institutions.3

The utility runs both directions. A borderline case gets a professional read instead of a DIY guess, which prevents both the inappropriate 119 call and the unnecessary ER visit.4 Tokyo guidance frames the line exactly this way: unsure about an ambulance, dial #7119.1

Life-threatening signs skip #7119 and dial 119​

Massive bleeding, loss of consciousness, and similar extremes go straight to 119.2 If the situation seems life-threatening or time-critical, call 119 immediately rather than consulting #7119 first.4 Triage lines serve doubt; obvious emergencies skip the queue.

Never let triage delay an obvious emergency

When breathing fails, bleeding will not stop, or consciousness fades, the ambulance decision is already made. Dial 119 and start the location-first script.24

How the Triage Call Works​

Doctors, nurses, and other specialists listen to the symptoms and decide whether an ambulance is needed; when it is not an emergency, they name a hospital that can see you.1 Describe what happened, when it started, and who is affected, then stay on the line for the nurse's questions and follow the routing.3

Consultation is free; the phone call is not​

Anyone can use the consultation for free; the telephone charges are your own.3 Osaka guidance repeats the split: consultation free, call charges apply.4 A few minutes of airtime buys a professional urgency judgment, which is cheap against either an ER bill or a missed emergency.

Coverage and Hours by Prefecture​

#7119 is not one national desk. Availability, hours, staffing, and fallback numbers differ by prefecture, so confirm your area's terms before you need them (as of 2026-09; confirm current coverage with your prefecture).2 Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, and many other prefectures run 24/7 service; some regions keep daytime-only or limited-hour coverage.2

AreaHoursIf #7119 fails to connectAs of
Tokyo24 hours, 365 days; JapaneseTokyo Fire Department consultation line2026-091
Nagasaki (prefecture + 21 municipalities)24 hours, 365 days; nurse answered095-801-12172024-07-293
Hiroshima regional area24 hours082-246-20002026-095
Osaka areaNurse triage per local guidance06-6582-7119 (IP and some mobile lines)2026-094

The table above covers the consultation terms as published (as of the dates shown; confirm current hours with your prefecture).1354 Nagasaki's 24-hour nurse service started August 1, 2024 across the prefecture and 21 municipalities.3

Save your area fallback number today

#7119 fails from some IP phones, dial lines, and handsets.34 The full-length fallback above is the number that still connects. Store it next to #7119 in your phone now.

Language on the Line​

Tokyo #7119 operates in Japanese, and university guidance labels the line Japanese only.12 Some prefectures add multilingual operators or translation-service access; Nomi City documents multilingual support on its consultation line (as of 2026-05-18).6 Assume Japanese-first handling unless your prefecture publishes otherwise, and bridge with a Japanese-speaking friend, a translation app, or the interpreter hotlines in the language-help guide.1

Good to know​

#7119 cannot replace a doctor visit​

Phone triage routes; it does not diagnose or treat.13 The nurse's judgment rests on what was heard by phone, so borderline advice errs toward in-person evaluation. Take the referral seriously even when symptoms ease during the call.

Keep the per-area fallback number saved​

Each area publishes its own full-length number for phones that cannot reach the short code.354 Travelers should look up the destination prefecture's fallback before the trip, not during the illness.

The healthcare counterpart owns the medical-decision side​

This article covers reaching the nurse. Judging urgency yourself, understanding ER tiers, and navigating hospital flow live in the healthcare pillar guide to the #7119 line and its companion emergency-care articles, linked below.4 Read the pair together: mechanics here, medicine there.

See also​

References​

Footnotes​

  1. Tokyo Intercultural Portal (Tokyo Tsunagari). "In Case of a Sudden Illness, Incident, or Accident" (English guide). https://tabunka.tokyo-tsunagari.or.jp/useful/guide_eng/accident/01.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  2. University of Tokyo Health Service Center. "After-hours Medical Consultation" (English page). https://www.hc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/qa-others/afterhours-med-consultation ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  3. Minamishimabara City (Nagasaki). "Emergency relief center #7119 begins" (updated 2024-07-29). https://www.city.minamishimabara.lg.jp.e.abk.hp.transer.com/kiji00311442/index.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13

  4. Kishiwada Tokushukai Hospital. "Emergency Room Osaka" (2026-04-23). https://kishiwada.tokushukai.or.jp/en/for-patients/emergency-room ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  5. City of Hiroshima. "Emergency Medical Care Afterhours, on Sundays, and During National Holidays" (English page). https://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/english/emergency/1029783/1009500.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Nomi City Fire Department. "119 Emergency in Japan" (updated 2026-05-18). https://www.city.nomi.lg.jp/docs/5999.html ↩