Kokoro no Mimi telephone counseling: phone number and hours

• Kokoro no Mimi social media counseling (LINE)

  Add the account as a friend on LINE and consult about mental health worries by chat. Saturdays and Sundays 10:00–16:00 (requests accepted until 15:30); weekdays 17:00–22:00 (requests accepted until 21:30). Closed on public holidays, substitute holidays and over the New Year holidays.

• Kokoro no Mimi email counseling

  Requests are accepted 24 hours a day through a dedicated form, and as a rule a reply arrives within 1 week. It is in Japanese only and does not handle consultations that need urgent action.

• Calls are answered by "Kokoro no Mimi telephone counselors," such as industrial counselors who have completed the required training. You cannot choose a specific counselor.
• You can consult about emotional worries, problems with relationships or work, the effects of overwork on mental health, preventing and coping with mental health problems, your individual stress check results and more.
• They do not diagnose illnesses or suggest treatments, give specialist legal or tax advice, judge whether something counts as harassment, or take requests to give guidance to workplaces. They refer you to a specialist helpline suited to your concern.
• Each consultation lasts up to about 20 minutes. When all lines are busy you cannot get through, so you are advised to call again later or consider another helpline.
• All calls are recorded. If they judge that there is a danger to someone's life or body, they may contact the police, a child guidance center or other agencies.

• Calls with caller ID withheld are not accepted. Show your number when you call, for example by adding 186 before the number.
• Calls are accepted until 10 minutes before closing (21:50 on weekdays, 15:50 on weekends). Public holidays are closed, whether they fall on a weekday or a weekend.
• Consultations while driving are not accepted.

Your municipality (city, ward, town or village) also has counters for welfare, health and child-rearing concerns. Call the main number, explain what you want to discuss, and ask for the counter in charge.