This article was written by the NIPPON VISA & LIFE editorial team based on information from public organizations such as the national government and local governments. Rules and fees may differ depending on the city, ward, town or village where you live.
You can receive information about disasters in Japan in your own language too. First, install “Safety tips,” a free app supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency, on your smartphone and set it up by following the instructions on the screen. If you also bookmark the Japan Meteorological Agency’s multilingual pages, you can check them right away when a disaster happens.
The Short Answer: What to Prepare Before a Disaster Happens
- Install the “Safety tips” app and set it up by following the instructions on the screen (free)
- Bookmark the Japan Meteorological Agency’s multilingual disaster prevention information page (https://www.data.jma.go.jp/multi/index.html?lang=jp)
- Read the emergency and disaster chapter of the Immigration Services Agency (ISA)’s “Guidebook on Living and Working” once in your own language
- Check the hazard map and the evacuation sites for the place where you live
- In case you want to ask for help in Japanese, learn how to use a translation app and communication cards
The Cabinet Office has made a leaflet on apps and websites that are useful in a disaster, and says it is “useful to put it up in a place where you can see it right away.”
(Sources: Cabinet Office, “Useful apps and websites in a disaster (multilingual)”, Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”)
The Main Tools Available in All 10 Languages of This Site
The tools in the table below can also be used in the 10 languages this site’s articles can be read in (English, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Nepali and Myanmar).
| Tool | Who provides it | Number of languages | What you can find out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety tips (app) | Supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency | 15 languages | Notifications such as earthquake early warnings and tsunami warnings, actions to take, evacuation shelter information, etc. |
| The Japan Meteorological Agency’s multilingual disaster prevention information page (website) | Japan Meteorological Agency | 15 languages (including Japanese) | Information on weather (weather, heavy rain, high temperatures, etc.), earthquakes, tsunami and volcanoes |
| Useful apps and websites in a disaster (leaflet) | Cabinet Office | 15 languages (including Japanese) | Which apps and websites to look at for each type of disaster |
| Guidebook on Living and Working (emergency and disaster chapter) | Immigration Services Agency | Many languages, including Japanese and Easy Japanese | Basic information for protecting your life from disasters |
The 15 languages are English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog, Nepali, Khmer, Burmese (Myanmar) and Mongolian.
(Sources: Japan Tourism Agency, “Push-type information app ‘Safety tips'” (PDF), Japan Meteorological Agency, “Multilingual information”, Cabinet Office, “Useful apps and websites in a disaster (multilingual)”, Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”)
What You Can Do with the “Safety tips” App
Safety tips is an app supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency that provides information in a disaster. It has been available since October of Heisei 26 (a year in Japan’s Heisei era). The Japan Tourism Agency’s materials describe it as an app “for foreign travelers,” but the Japan National Tourism Organization’s guide says it has functions that are also useful for foreign nationals living in Japan. The app is free.
The Information Safety tips Sends as Notifications
According to the Japan Tourism Agency’s materials, the app can send the following information in Japan to your smartphone as notifications (push notifications).
- Earthquake early warnings (information that tells you before strong shaking arrives)
- Tsunami warnings
- Weather emergency warnings
- Eruption alerts
- Evacuation information (evacuation instructions and similar information issued by cities, wards, towns and villages)
- Heatstroke information
- J-Alert (emergency information issued by the national government)
(Source: Japan Tourism Agency, “Push-type information app ‘Safety tips'” (PDF))
What Else You Can Do with Safety tips Besides Notifications
- Response flowcharts: show how you should act depending on the situation around you
- Communication cards: contain words (phrases) that are useful when you ask people around you for information
- Link collection: a list of websites where you can gather information you need in a disaster
- Evacuation shelter information: if you go from “Evacuation information” in the app to evacuation shelter information, you move to the “Nationwide Evacuation Shelter Guide” app
(Sources: Japan Tourism Agency, “Useful tools in a disaster for foreign visitors to Japan”, Japan National Tourism Organization, “The App “Safety tips””, Cabinet Office leaflet “Useful apps and websites in a disaster,” Japanese version (PDF))
How to Install Safety tips
- Search for “Safety tips” on the App Store for iPhone or on Google Play for Android
- After installing it, follow the instructions on the screen to set the places you want to receive notifications for and other settings
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization’s guide, it can be used on iOS 13.0 or later and Android 5.0 or later. The Immigration Services Agency’s “Useful information in a disaster” page also has download links.
(Sources: Japan National Tourism Organization, “The App “Safety tips””, Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”)
How to Use the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Multilingual Disaster Prevention Information Page
The Japan Meteorological Agency provides information on weather (weather, heavy rain, high temperatures, etc.), earthquakes, tsunami and volcanoes in 15 languages (including Japanese). You can choose the language at the top of the page.
The Cabinet Office’s leaflet tells you to look at the following Japan Meteorological Agency information for each type of disaster.
| Type of disaster | Information to look at on the Japan Meteorological Agency’s page |
|---|---|
| Earthquakes and tsunami | Earthquake information, tsunami warnings and advisories |
| Typhoons, heavy rain and heavy snow | Weather warnings and advisories |
| Landslides, inundation and floods | Risk distribution maps (maps that show in color which places are dangerous) |
| Eruptions | Volcanic warnings and forecasts |
The URL of the page for each language changes after “lang=” at the end, depending on the language. Examples: lang=en for English, lang=vn for Vietnamese, lang=np for Nepali and lang=mm for Myanmar.
(Sources: Japan Meteorological Agency, “Multilingual information”, Cabinet Office leaflet “Useful apps and websites in a disaster,” Japanese version (PDF))
The meaning of alert levels and evacuation information is explained in Heavy Rain and Typhoon Alert Levels and Evacuation Information in Japan: When to Evacuate at Level 3 and 4, and New Names Such as “Level 4 Heavy Rain Urgent Warning”.
National Government Materials to Read in Your Own Language Before a Disaster
The Immigration Services Agency’s “Guidebook on Living and Working” and Videos
On the Immigration Services Agency’s “Useful information in a disaster” page, you can see the following in many languages.
- Guidebook on Living and Working (Emergencies and Disasters): a PDF that explains the basic information you need to protect your life from disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and heavy rain. Besides Japanese and Easy Japanese, it is available in many languages, including English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Portuguese and Myanmar
- Living orientation videos (Emergencies and Disasters): explain similar content in videos (YouTube)
(Source: Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”)
The Cabinet Office’s Multilingual Leaflet and Poster
- Useful apps and websites in a disaster: a leaflet (PDF) in 15 languages. The first half introduces the main apps and websites, and the second half, “When a disaster happens,” shows which ones to look at for each type of disaster
- Disaster reduction points for foreign nationals: a poster summarizing points for preparing for disasters in Japan. It is made in Japanese and Easy Japanese, and if you scan the QR code, it is shown in 15 languages according to your smartphone’s language setting
(Sources: Cabinet Office, “Useful apps and websites in a disaster (multilingual)”, Cabinet Office, “Disaster reduction points for foreign nationals”)
Other Information Sources Introduced by Public Organizations
| Information source | Organization that introduces it | Details |
|---|---|---|
| NHK WORLD-JAPAN (app and website) | Immigration Services Agency and Cabinet Office | Provides NHK news in many languages. Also gives emergency information such as on earthquakes and tsunami |
| Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Disaster Prevention Portal (website) | Immigration Services Agency and Cabinet Office | Expected damage and hazard maps, knowledge for protecting yourself in a disaster, the status of transportation and damage, etc. |
| Japan Safe Travel (X: @JapanSafeTravel) | Japan Tourism Agency | An account of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). Provides information foreign travelers need during natural disasters |
| Japan Visitor Hotline (phone: 050-3816-2787) | Japan Tourism Agency | A telephone service of the Japan National Tourism Organization. Provides support and more 24 hours a day in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese in cases such as accidents, illness and disasters |
(Sources: Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”, Cabinet Office leaflet “Useful apps and websites in a disaster,” Japanese version (PDF), Japan Tourism Agency, “Useful tools in a disaster for foreign visitors to Japan”)
Tools You Can Use When You Want to Ask for Help in Japanese
In a disaster, you may need to ask Japanese people around you for information or talk with people at an evacuation shelter. The Cabinet Office’s leaflet tells you to use the following when you want to ask for help in Japanese.
- Safety tips communication cards: contain words that are useful when you ask people around you for information
- VoiceTra: a multilingual speech translation app that translates what you say into a foreign language. You can also type text to translate it
(Sources: Cabinet Office leaflet “Useful apps and websites in a disaster,” Japanese version (PDF), Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”)
Common Problems and Frequently Asked Questions About Disaster Information
Can people living in Japan use “Safety tips,” an app for travelers?
Yes. You can install Safety tips for free. The Japan National Tourism Organization’s guide says it has functions that are also useful for foreign nationals living in Japan.
If I install Safety tips, is it OK not to look at other information?
Do not rely on just one tool; also check TV and radio, the Japan Meteorological Agency’s pages, and information from your city, ward, town or village. Check your city, ward, town or village’s website to find out how it provides disaster information.
What if my language is not available in the materials or apps?
The Immigration Services Agency’s Guidebook on Living and Working has an “Easy Japanese” version. The Cabinet Office’s disaster reduction poster also has an “Easy Japanese” version.
How do I find out where to evacuate?
How to look up hazard maps and evacuation sites from your address is explained in How to Find Evacuation Sites, Evacuation Shelters and Hazard Maps in Japan: What to Check for Your Address Before a Disaster.
Primary Sources Referenced in This Article
- Japan Tourism Agency, “Push-type information app ‘Safety tips'” (PDF)
- Japan Tourism Agency, “Useful tools in a disaster for foreign visitors to Japan”
- Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), “The App “Safety tips””
- Japan Meteorological Agency, “Multilingual information”
- Cabinet Office, “Useful apps and websites in a disaster (multilingual)”
- Cabinet Office leaflet “Useful apps and websites in a disaster,” Japanese version (PDF, information as of the end of August 2024)
- Cabinet Office, “Disaster reduction points for foreign nationals”
- Immigration Services Agency, “Useful information in a disaster”
This article is a translation of the original Japanese version.
