Telephone helplines for personal worries

Nationwide telephone helplines you can call about mental health worries, children's concerns, work and workplace worries, harm from domestic violence or sexual violence, consultations with the police, legal, human rights and money matters, consumer trouble, nursing care and dementia, and when you are unsure what to do about a sudden illness or injury.

Last verified October 30, 2026

This page was compiled by AIRI from official national government pages and covers the procedures that are the same nationwide. It is not operated by the national government or by any municipality. For the actual procedure, follow the guidance of the municipality where you live.

1.Mental health worries, or when life feels too painful to go on

When things are hard, do not carry it alone. Talking to someone can help you sort out your feelings a little. At a helpline, a counselor listens to you and thinks about what comes next together with you. You can choose a helpline by your concern, your age group, and the time you are able to call.

If a life is in immediate danger, do not hesitate to call

For a sudden illness or injury that puts a life in immediate danger, call 119 (ambulance). For an incident or accident where you need a police officer right away, or when you feel your safety is threatened, call 110 (police).

2.Inochi no Denwa (Lifeline) centers across Japan

Inochi no Denwa (Lifeline) has centers in regions across Japan. You can call any center, no matter where you live. If you cannot get through, wait a while and call again, or call another center that is open.

Hokkaido2 helplines

Tohoku6 helplines

Kanto12 helplines

Chubu8 helplines

Kinki8 helplines

Chugoku and Shikoku8 helplines

Kyushu and Okinawa9 helplines

Calls to the regional numbers are charged. To call free of charge, use the Inochi no Denwa toll-free number (0120-783-556) listed under "Mental health helplines" above.

3.Worries of children and young people (bullying, school, family, child-rearing)

If you think a child may be being abused, call the Child Guidance Center Abuse Hotline "189" (remembered as "ichi-haya-ku," meaning "right away"). It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of call charges, and connects you to your nearest child guidance center. You can report or consult without giving your name, and the identity of the caller and what you say are kept confidential. Consultations other than abuse, such as child-rearing, foster parenting and young carers, are also accepted at the Child Guidance Center Consultation Dial (0120-189-783).

4.Work and workplace worries (working conditions, mental health of working people)

For working conditions, such as illegal overtime work or unpaid overtime, you can consult the Working Conditions Consultation Hotline on weekday evenings and on weekends and holidays, when Labour Standards Inspection Offices and similar offices are closed. For mental health problems and stress among working people, and the effects of overwork on health, you can talk to counselors such as industrial counselors through the telephone counseling of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Kokoro no Mimi."

  • Working Conditions Consultation Hotline
    Working Conditions Consultation Hotline

    Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (commissioned program) · Weekdays 17:00–22:00; weekends and holidays 9:00–21:00 (closed December 29 to January 3)

    English 0120-531-401, Chinese 0120-531-402

    0120-811-610
  • Kokoro no Mimi telephone counseling
    Kokoro no Mimi telephone counseling

    Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (commissioned program) · Weekdays 17:00–22:00; Saturdays and Sundays 10:00–16:00 (closed on public holidays, substitute holidays and over the New Year holidays)

    0120-565-455

5.Domestic violence and sexual violence

For violence from a spouse or partner (domestic violence), the Cabinet Office's DV Consultation Plus takes phone calls 24 hours a day. You can consult even at the stage of wondering, "Is this domestic violence?" Calling #8008 connects you to your nearest Spousal Violence Counseling and Support Center. For harm from sexual crimes or sexual violence, calling #8891 connects you to your nearest one-stop support center, where you can consult free of call charges.

When you need a police officer to come right now

In an emergency where you need a police officer to come right away, call 110.

6.Consultations with the police (stalking, domestic violence, crime victims, etc.)

When you need a police officer to come right now

In an emergency, such as an incident or accident in progress or imminent danger, call 110. #9110 is the number for non-emergency consultations.

You cannot call #9110 from pulse-dial lines or from some IP phones. In that case, call the consultation phone number of your prefectural police.

8.Consumer trouble (unfair sales practices, contract disputes, etc.)

When you call the Consumer Hotline 188 (remembered as "iyaya"), you are directed to a nearby consultation counter, such as your municipal or prefectural consumer affairs center. Consultation is free, but call charges apply from the moment you are connected to the counter.

188 is a number that connects you to consumer affairs centers and similar counters; it does not connect you to the Consumer Affairs Agency. If the line is busy and you cannot get through, you can also use the consultation service of the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan.

  • Consumer Hotline (188)
    Consumer Hotline (188)

    Consumer Affairs Agency · Depends on the hours of the consultation desk you are connected to (as a rule every day, including weekends and holidays, except facility inspection days and the New Year period)

    188

9.Nursing care and dementia worries

Through the telephone counseling of Alzheimer's Association Japan, you can talk with trained people who have caregiving experience about dementia, how to provide care, and your frustrations and worries as a caregiver. The association's branches in all 47 prefectures also offer telephone counseling.

Long-Term Care Insurance procedures

10.When you are unsure whether to call an ambulance for a sudden illness or injury (including children's sudden illness and accidental swallowing)

When you call the Emergency Medical Consultation Center #7119, you can ask doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staff whether you should call an ambulance or go to a hospital right away. If they judge the situation to be urgent, they can connect you directly to emergency dispatch.

If you are unsure what to do about a child's sudden illness or injury, call the Children's Medical Telephone Consultation "#8000" to consult pediatricians and nurses at your prefecture's helpline about what to do and which hospital to visit. Hours differ by prefecture. If a child or family member has acute poisoning from chemical substances, medicines, or toxins from animals or plants, you can get information on what to do from the Poison Hotline 110.

#7119 is not available in every area

As of our check in October 2026, #7119 is in operation in 42 areas nationwide. Some areas do not offer it, and some run an emergency phone consultation on a number other than #7119, so check the information from your prefecture or municipality.

When you should call an ambulance without hesitation

If a life is at risk, for example if someone is unconscious or has difficulty breathing, call 119 immediately.

What differs by municipality

The following items differ from one municipality to another, so they are not covered on this page. Check the official website or counter of the municipality where you live.

  • Location and hours of your municipality's welfare, child-rearing and health consultation counters
  • Where the Mental Health Consultation Unified Dial connects to, and its hours
  • Your prefectural police consultation phone number, and the hours of #9110
  • Location and hours of your nearest consumer affairs center
  • Whether #7119 is available in your area, and the emergency phone consultation number in areas that do not offer it
  • The hours of #8000, and your prefecture's regular number for children's medical telephone consultation
  • The hours of Spousal Violence Counseling and Support Centers and one-stop support centers

You can look up the main phone number and office hours of your municipality in the Municipal Office Phone Directory.

Sources

8. Consumer trouble (unfair sales practices, contract disputes, etc.)
Consumer Affairs AgencyConsumer Affairs Agency, "Consumer Hotline"
9. Nursing care and dementia worries
Alzheimer's Association JapanAlzheimer's Association Japan, "Telephone counseling"

Change history

Added helplines for work and workplace worries, domestic violence and sexual violence, legal, human rights and money matters, and nursing care and dementia, as well as 189, #8000, the Poison Hotline 110 and others.
First edition.

Other procedures

Related pages

This guide is a general explanation of nationwide systems, compiled by AIRI (operated by LIVERUSH Co., Ltd.) from official pages of the national government and related bodies. It is not operated by the national government or by any municipality. For your individual procedure, the guidance of the municipality where you live takes precedence. The content reflects the situation as of the last-verified date shown at the top of the page.

If you notice an error or outdated content, please let us know through the correction request form. We check it against the sources, correct it, and record the change in the change history.

For municipal staff: how AI can take the first response to phone calls from residents is described on AIRI for municipalities and government agencies.