Hospitals That Take English Speakers: Tokyo, Kansai, and Beyond
City lists drawn from the national register, with addresses, phone numbers, and supported languages, plus the official search tools and hotlines.
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The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Japan Tourism Agency compile what each prefecture reports into one national register of medical institutions that accept foreign patients, listing address, phone number, opening hours, the languages each department can handle, and accepted credit cards. The city lists below draw general hospitals and emergency-capable facilities from that register, sorted by where visitors actually stay. The register refreshes each May and November, so confirm current status through the search tools before you travel.
Three search tools and two phone lines
Searching beats memorising a list, because you can filter by where you are standing. The JNTO medical institution search combines prefecture, supported language, department, JMIP certification, 24-hour emergency capability, and credit card acceptance, with an interface in English, Chinese, and Korean. The ministry register is the complete version of the same data as a spreadsheet split by prefecture. Prefectures publish their own versions too, and the Tokyo one goes down to secondary medical zones and per-facility foreign-language phone numbers.
By phone there are two lines. The Japan Visitor Hotline on 050-3816-2787 runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English, Chinese, and Korean, covering illness, disasters, and general questions. AMDA International Medical Information Center on 03-6233-9266 operates weekdays from 10:00 to 16:00 in eight languages and will name a nearby facility that accepts foreign-language patients. If you cannot judge whether to call an ambulance, dial #7119; for a child, #8000; in an emergency, 119.
Sources: JNTO: when you feel unwell, MHLW: register of medical institutions accepting foreign patients.
Tokyo
Tokyo has the longest list. JMIP is the national certification for foreign patient care, held by only 67 institutions nationwide as of 27 November 2025.
| Hospital | Location | Phone | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Luke’s International Hospital | Akashicho 9-1, Chuo | 03-3541-5151 | English, Chinese, Russian site |
| Tokyo Saiseikai Central Hospital | Mita 1-4-17, Minato | 050-5358-2873 (foreign-language line) | Emergency in EN, ZH, KO, ES, PT, FR, RU |
| Toranomon Hospital | Toranomon 2-2-2, Minato | 03-3588-1111 | JMIP certified |
| Keio University Hospital | Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku | 03-3353-1211 | Emergency in English |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital | Ebisu 2-34-10, Shibuya | 03-3444-1181 | Metropolitan, secondary emergency |
| NTT Medical Center Tokyo | Higashi-Gotanda 5-9-22, Shinagawa | 03-6721-6239 | English, Chinese, Italian |
The Saiseikai number above is unusual in being published specifically for foreign languages; the main line on 03-3451-8211 is Japanese only. For something minor, two clinics near Tokyo Station are on the register: Tokyo Business Clinic Yaesu Kitaguchi in the Tekko Building basement at Marunouchi 1-8-2 on 03-6268-0079, and its Gransta Marunouchi branch inside the station on 03-6259-1605, which suits anyone dragging luggage. St. Luke’s MediLocus in Otemachi on 03-3527-9520 also lists English.
Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government: JMIP and core medical institutions (as of 30 June 2026).
Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe
The three Kansai cities differ in character. Osaka has many general hospitals but fewer explicit language listings, Kyoto has the highest concentration of emergency departments declaring English, Chinese, and Korean, and Kobe has a short list in convenient places.
| City | Hospital | Location | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka | Osaka Red Cross Hospital | Fudegasaki 5-30, Tennoji | 06-6774-5111 |
| Osaka | Sumitomo Hospital | Nakanoshima 5-3-20, Kita | 06-6443-1261 |
| Osaka | Kitano Hospital | Ogimachi 2-4-20, Kita | 06-6312-1221 |
| Osaka | Chibune Hospital (emergency EN, ZH) | Fukumachi 3-2-39, Nishiyodogawa | 06-6471-9541 |
| Kyoto | Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital (EN, ZH, KO) | Honmachi 15-749, Higashiyama | 075-561-1121 |
| Kyoto | Takeda Hospital (EN, ZH, KO) | Shiokoji-dori, Shimogyo | 075-361-1351 |
| Kyoto | Kyoto Second Red Cross Hospital (EN) | Haruobicho 355-5, Kamigyo | 075-231-5171 |
| Kyoto | Kyoto University Hospital | Shogoin Kawaharacho 54, Sakyo | 0570-030-311 |
| Kobe | Kobe University Hospital | Kusunokicho 7-5-2, Chuo | 078-382-5111 |
| Kobe | Kobe Hakuai Hospital (EN, ZH) | Motomachi-dori 7-1-17, Chuo | 078-362-5010 |
Location matters here. Takeda Hospital is within walking distance southwest of Kyoto Station, so it is the closest option if you are staying by the station. The First Red Cross sits in Higashiyama, near Kiyomizudera and Gion. Kobe Hakuai is at the western end of the Motomachi shopping street, walkable from Sannomiya and Nankinmachi.
Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Naha
Lists are shorter elsewhere, but every major city has a general hospital that can take you.
| City | Hospital | Location | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagoya | Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya Daini (emergency EN) | Myokencho 2-9, Showa | 052-832-1121 |
| Nagoya | Juko Osu Hospital (emergency EN) | Matsubara 2-17-5, Naka | 052-212-8981 |
| Nagoya | Nagoya City University Hospital | Mizuhocho Kawasumi 1, Mizuho | 052-851-5511 |
| Fukuoka | Saiseikai Fukuoka General Hospital | Tenjin 1-3-46, Chuo | 092-771-8151 |
| Fukuoka | Kyushu Medical Center | Jigyohama 1-8-1, Chuo | 092-852-0700 |
| Fukuoka | Kyushu University Hospital (JMIP) | Maidashi 3-1-1, Higashi | 092-642-4231 |
| Sapporo | Sapporo Higashi Tokushukai Hospital (emergency EN, ZH, RU) | Kita 33 Higashi 14-3-1, Higashi | 011-722-1110 |
| Sapporo | Sapporo Tokushukai Hospital (emergency EN, KO) | Oyachi Higashi 1-1-1, Atsubetsu | 011-890-1110 |
| Naha | Okinawa Kyodo Hospital (emergency EN) | Kohagura 4-10-55 | 098-853-1200 |
| Naha | Naha City Hospital | Furujima 2-31-1 | 098-884-5111 |
Saiseikai Fukuoka General sits inside the Tenjin shopping district, the closest general hospital to the city center. In Sapporo, Yagi Orthopaedic Hospital at Nishino 3-jo 5-1-35 in Nishi ward runs a dedicated line for foreign visitors on 080-9074-5451 with orthopaedic care in 18 languages, which is what a ski or hiking injury needs.
Nights, weekends, and no shared language
Most of the above is daytime outpatient care. After hours, the options are hospital emergency departments and each city’s holiday and night emergency center, and both add out-of-hours charges.
Language has three layers of fallback. Facilities listing foreign-language support almost all contract 24-hour telephone interpreting in 13 to 17 languages. Failing that, call AMDA or the Japan Visitor Hotline and ask for a three-way call. Failing that, use a point-and-show symptom sheet; municipalities and the health ministry publish multilingual versions, and the Tokyo one covers English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Thai, and Spanish.
Budget for the bill. Stays of three months or less cannot join public insurance, so care is fully self-paid, some hospitals bill non-insured foreign nationals at ¥30 per point, and arriving without a referral adds ¥7,700 or more. Costs and insurance mechanics are in falling ill on a short trip.
Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Government: support portal for foreign patients, AMDA International Medical Information Center.
Common mistakes
Reading English support as an English-speaking doctor on duty is the first. The listing means the department can handle you through staff or telephone interpreting, not that someone is at the desk right now. Call ahead and confirm the day.
Going straight to a large hospital is the second. Most university and Red Cross hospitals above expect a referral, and without one you pay the surcharge and wait two to four hours. A clinic is faster for anything mild, and the ones in business districts like Tokyo Station or Tenjin turn around quickly.
Assuming an emergency department is always open is the third. Secondary emergency hospitals rotate duty days, so the nearest one may not be the one on call. Dial #7119 or 119 rather than guessing.
Payment is the fourth. Small clinics often take cash only, which is why the JNTO search has a credit card filter. In summer the most common reason for a hospital visit is heat illness, covered in heatstroke prevention, with the seasonal plan in summer travel in Japan.
Useful terms
- Kyukyu gairai: hospital emergency outpatient department
- Kyujitsu yakan kyukan center: holiday and night emergency clinic
- Shokaijo: referral letter from a clinic to a hospital
- Yubisashi kaiwashu: point-and-show multilingual symptom sheet
- Tobani: the hospital on emergency duty that day