Emergency numbers cost

Hi again,
I was wondering if there is any cost to call emergency numbers like police or ambulance (110, 119) if calling from a roaming SIM card in Japan? Same if it is a rental SIM card.

Will I by the way be able to call it from a roaming phone or will I need some country code? If I make domestic calls with roaming the calling rate is quite high so could be good to know if I will be able to call emergency services when needed.

Also there is a Japan help line number (0570 000 911 ). Is there any cost to call this number from either roaming or rental SIM card? Not sure if I should call +81 0570 000 911 or just 0570 000 911 when using roaming or rental SIM card since I am not used to Japanese phone numbers...


Also a bit off topic but in case I would need a certificate, attest, or some kind of paper from a doctor or dental service after medical assistance, is there any word I could use in Japanese (or English) so the medical staff understands me? Or maybe it is usual they will give me one without need of asking.

Emergency numbers are free. You can directly dial the numbers, no country code required. However, I don't even think you have to be connected to a roaming network - it should just work over the strongest cell signal your handset can see.

There's an agreement that most countries subscribe too that all emergency numbers work in any country - redirecting to the local number. So 911 and 999 should also work in Japan, but I've never tried this myself.

Also there is a Japan help line number (0570 000 911).

The U.S. embassy in Tokyo, Japan lists an alternative number of Japan Helpline for an international call, which is 81-3-3435-8017.
- http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7104.html
For a domestic call, the number is 03-3435-8017.
This number is not a free call number.
The first 0 is a prefix used only for a domestic call.

A user of a 0570 number can decide how much of call charges the user would pay. A caller is required to pay the rest. Not all 0570 numbers can be accessed from a mobile phone.

Okay. Thanks for the answers.

Now I am a bit confused though which number I should use to call to the Japan Help Line though...

Just call from a domestic land phone, which will be at stations and major streets corners. Ask people around if they can lend you a phone to call to the Embassy or police if it's a real emergency. You shouldn't hesitate.

So the Japan Help line is toll free from a land line phone?

No, the numbers listed above are not toll free. The Japan Helpline's numbers are:

0120-461-997 (tollfree, japan only)
0570-000-911 (japan only)
03-3435-8017 (japan or international)

All three will connect you to the same system. I'd like directly to their page but it seems to have been affected by malware. Instead, here's the US Embassy helpline page:

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7104.html