How to Help People During an Earthquake in Japan

Quick answer: To help someone during an earthquake in Japan, first protect yourself from falling objects and unstable structures. Once the shaking stops, check for injuries from a safe place, call 119 for fire, ambulance or rescue emergencies, help people follow official evacuation instructions, and keep clear of damaged buildings and coastal tsunami zones. A useful neighbour is someone who makes another person’s next safe step easier—not someone who becomes another person needing rescue.

In immediate danger? Japan: 119 (fire or ambulance) and 110 (police). For earthquake and tsunami alerts, use the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Visitors can check Japan’s official tourism emergency contacts. This guide is general preparation and neighbour-help information, not a live incident bulletin. Follow current local government instructions.

What to do in the first minute

While the ground shakes: get low, protect your head and neck, and shelter beneath sturdy furniture where possible. Stay away from glass, tall furniture, unsecured shelves and exterior walls. Do not run across a room to reach someone if the route is unsafe.
Outside: move away from building facades, roof tiles, signs, utility poles and walls that could fall. Do not stand beneath damaged structures to look for injured people.
When shaking stops: take stock. Look for broken glass, exposed wires, smoke, damaged stairs, unstable ceilings and blocked exits before moving.
Near the sea: after strong or prolonged shaking, or when a tsunami warning is announced, move promptly away from the coast and rivers connected to the sea to designated higher ground or a tsunami evacuation building. Do not wait to finish checking a property.
Expect aftershocks: the first shock may not be the last. Keep an exit route in mind and avoid re-entering buildings that might be damaged.

The JMA’s earthquake protection guidance explains why protecting your own head and choosing a safe place comes before movement. Its tsunami guidance emphasises that waves can recur and that a warning must be respected until authorities say otherwise.

If another person needs help right now

1. Identify a safe position before approaching

Ask yourself three questions: Is the ground still shaking? Could something fall onto us? Is there a safe way out? If the route involves unstable rubble, live wires, floodwater or a damaged building, do not enter. Alert professional responders and give them the person’s best-known location. An untrained rescuer who becomes trapped consumes precious rescue capacity.

2. Check for urgent medical needs

If you can safely reach someone, speak clearly: “Can you hear me? Are you hurt? Can you move?” Call 119 for unconsciousness, breathing difficulty, heavy bleeding, serious injury, entrapment, fire, or other life-threatening danger. Follow the emergency dispatcher’s instructions. If trained, provide appropriate first aid. Do not move a seriously injured person merely to make them more comfortable; move them only when there is an immediate environmental danger that makes staying impossible and movement can be attempted safely.

For a 119 call, provide the municipality, address or nearby landmark, what happened, the number of people who need help, any immediate hazards, and a callback number. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency’s English ambulance calling guide describes the information dispatchers ask for. Language interpretation arrangements vary by locality, so give simple facts and ask for language support if needed.

3. Offer one concrete action, not ten vague promises

A person may be frightened, searching for a child, unable to hear announcements or unsure where the nearest open shelter is. Ask, “Would it help if I checked the official evacuation location, carried your bag, contacted someone, or stayed with you until your family arrives?” Obtain consent wherever possible. Do not assume an older adult needs to be carried, a person with a disability has no plan, or a child knows the family meeting place.

Help people evacuate without creating a second emergency

Use the official route. Follow ward, municipality, shelter and on-site staff directions. A familiar shortcut may be blocked by fallen walls or debris.
Move together when practical. Offer your arm to someone who wants it, explain steps aloud for people with limited vision, and communicate face-to-face or by writing for someone who cannot hear clearly.
Support essential needs. If readily available, help someone take their medication, mobility aid, spectacles, necessary documents, phone and charger. Do not delay urgent evacuation to pack.
Share accurate locations. Record the name of the open evacuation shelter, its posted rules and the time you checked. A shelter’s opening status can change during an incident.
Keep families connected. Agree on a check-in method that works during patchy mobile service. Short text messages can be easier to send than extended calls.
Preserve room for emergency vehicles. Do not park near narrow access roads, crowd damaged stations, or obstruct fire and ambulance routes.

A critical distinction: when a tsunami may be approaching, rapid movement to safe elevation takes priority over general neighbourhood checking. Offer help along an evacuation route if it is safe; do not walk downhill or back towards the coast to find someone. Tell authorities whom you could not reach and where you last saw them.

Who may need a different kind of help?

People living alone

If your building is safe enough for you to move around and no evacuation order prevents it, check on known neighbours from a safe common area. Call or message before knocking. If there is no answer and you suspect danger, report the address to building management or emergency services rather than forcing your way into an unstable home.

People with mobility, hearing or vision needs

Ask before touching a person or their wheelchair, white cane, hearing device or guide dog. Explain the evacuation destination and whether there are stairs. If a designated accessible route is unavailable, tell shelter staff or emergency services the person’s exact location and what support is required; never improvise an unsafe lifting manoeuvre.

Children and people separated from relatives

Remain with a separated child in a safe, supervised public place and notify official shelter staff or police. Do not publish children’s names, identifying photographs, shelter locations or private phone numbers openly online. For elderly relatives or visitors who are separated, use authorised reunion assistance and direct family contact instead of publicly circulating sensitive details.

Visitors who do not read Japanese

Point visitors towards JNTO’s multilingual Safety tips app, official railway and city information, and interpreters at designated facilities. Translate the action required—“evacuate to higher ground now,” “this shelter is closed,” or “follow the staff”—without inventing a time, route or warning status. A photo of a sign may help an official interpreter, but do not rely on guesswork for safety instructions.

The next 24 hours: useful help after the shaking

Check for urgent needs before offering donated items: safe water, food, medication, clean clothing, sanitary products, power, sleep, disability access and verified information.
Offer to contact relatives, accompany someone to an operating medical service, or help complete official assistance forms where authorised.
Coordinate shared supplies through an evacuation centre or recognised local volunteer coordination system; avoid creating duplicate drop-offs.
Keep away from cracked walls, collapsed roofs, exposed wiring, ruptured pipes and landslide slopes. Do not remove debris from a structurally unsafe home without guidance.
Use verified updates from the JMA, your prefecture, your municipality and the evacuation centre. Recheck information if an aftershock changes conditions.
Offer culturally and linguistically accessible help without assuming what a person needs. Sometimes the most useful act is a clear explanation followed by a little privacy.

How to volunteer or donate without getting in the way

For people outside the affected neighbourhood, the safest help often begins at a distance. Check the Japanese Red Cross Society’s official donation information or a specific verified local appeal. Read whether the donation supports a named disaster or general work; these are not always the same. If you have clothes, blankets or food to give, confirm that a recognised organisation is collecting those exact items before delivering them. Unrequested goods may overwhelm sorting and transport.

Do not self-deploy into a closed disaster zone. Organised volunteer centres may request particular skills or announce when volunteers can safely enter. Be ready to help with translation, clean-up coordination, accessible communications or administrative work when a recognised organisation asks. Never present yourself as an official responder if you are not one.

A practical example: helping in an apartment building

Imagine the shaking has stopped and you are in a common corridor that appears safe. A neighbour says her father is inside an apartment but has not answered the phone. Instead of entering a possibly damaged unit, you note the room number and last known status, contact 119 if serious danger is suspected, tell building management, and move yourself and the neighbour to an officially designated safe location. If professional help requests information, give the apartment number, hazards and last contact time. You have reduced uncertainty without adding danger.

Questions people ask during an earthquake in Japan

Should I go back into a damaged house to look for someone?

No, not if the structure may be unstable or there are other hazards. Report the person’s likely location to 119 and follow rescue personnel’s directions. Untrained entry can turn one emergency into two.

What if the earthquake happens near the coast?

Strong or long shaking, a tsunami alert, or an evacuation instruction means move promptly to suitable higher ground or designated evacuation buildings. Do not approach the waterfront to look at the sea. Stay away until the relevant warning is lifted and authorities say return is safe.

Who should I call for an injured person?

119 for ambulance or fire emergencies; 110 for police. Describe the location and what responders need to know. These are Japanese emergency numbers, not international ones.

Can I share a missing-person post online?

Prefer direct contact with family, an evacuation centre or authorised assistance service. Seek consent before disclosing personal details, particularly information about children, health conditions and shelter locations. An unverified viral post can cause harm.

What is the best help if I live far away?

Verify a recognised relief appeal, donate according to its instructions, help translate official notices accurately if qualified, and avoid amplifying rumours. Do not travel into restricted areas simply to offer informal assistance.

More practical disaster-help guides on eduKateSG: Flood response in Bangladesh · Hurricane response in the United States · Bushfire response in Australia. Each guide is country-specific; always follow the local authorities where you are.

Official information and further reading

Reviewed 2 November 2026. This is evergreen general guidance for Japan, not confirmation that a particular area is safe or that any shelter is open. Check current JMA and local authority directions before acting.