E911-INTL-ERR-004 emergency life_safety ai_generated true

AI recommends calling 911 in Japan during an earthquake, but Japan uses 110 for police and 119 for fire/ambulance; 911 does not route to Japanese emergency services

ID: emergency/ai-recommends-911-in-japan-for-earthquake

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
85%Fix Rate
90%Confidence
1Evidence
2024-02-20First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
NTT 119 active — — —
SoftBank 110 active — — —
KDDI Emergency active — — —
iOS 17 Emergency SOS Japan active — — —
Android 14 Emergency Location Japan active — — —

Root Cause

The AI confuses the US emergency number with Japan's system; Japan's emergency numbers are 110 (police) and 119 (fire and ambulance), and 911 is not recognized by Japanese telecom networks; some foreign travelers may mistakenly dial 911 due to cultural familiarity.

generic

中文

AI混淆了美国紧急号码与日本系统；日本的紧急号码是110（警察）和119（消防和救护车），911不被日本电信网络识别；一些外国旅行者可能由于文化熟悉而误拨911。

Official Documentation

https://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/faq/faq-01.html

Workarounds

  1. 95% success Dial 119 for fire or ambulance, and 110 for police. On a mobile phone, you can also dial #9110 for emergency services via some carriers, but standard 110/119 is safest. 
    Dial 119 for fire or ambulance, and 110 for police. On a mobile phone, you can also dial #9110 for emergency services via some carriers, but standard 110/119 is safest.
  2. 88% success Program the emergency numbers into your phone's speed dial before a disaster. On iPhone, add 110 and 119 to your Medical ID (Health app > Medical ID > Emergency Contacts). 
    Program the emergency numbers into your phone's speed dial before a disaster. On iPhone, add 110 and 119 to your Medical ID (Health app > Medical ID > Emergency Contacts).
  3. 75% success Use the Japan Meteorological Agency's official app for earthquake early warnings; it provides instructions in English on what to do and whom to call. 
    Use the Japan Meteorological Agency's official app for earthquake early warnings; it provides instructions in English on what to do and whom to call.

中文步骤

  1. Dial 119 for fire or ambulance, and 110 for police. On a mobile phone, you can also dial #9110 for emergency services via some carriers, but standard 110/119 is safest.
  2. Program the emergency numbers into your phone's speed dial before a disaster. On iPhone, add 110 and 119 to your Medical ID (Health app > Medical ID > Emergency Contacts).
  3. Use the Japan Meteorological Agency's official app for earthquake early warnings; it provides instructions in English on what to do and whom to call.

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. Tell user to call 911 from a mobile phone because it redirects to 110/119 95% fail

    In Japan, 911 does not redirect; it is not a valid emergency number. Calls to 911 may result in a recorded message or disconnection.

  2. Advise user to download a translation app before calling 110/119 50% fail

    While helpful, translation apps cannot replace the need for a human operator; many operators speak English, but the call should be made directly.

  3. Suggest using the SOS feature on a smartphone which might dial 911 60% fail

    Smartphone SOS features are region-aware; if the phone is set to Japan region, SOS typically dials 110/119, but if misconfigured, it may dial 911 incorrectly.