Emergency
After-Hours and Holiday Clinics in Japan
How to find medical care in Japan when regular clinics are closed — after-hours services, holiday emergency clinics, and the municipal systems that coordinate out-of-hours access.
Foreign residents who need medical care on evenings, weekends, or public holidays in Japan when their regular clinic is closed.
How Japan handles out-of-hours medical care
Japan’s primary care clinics and most outpatient hospital departments operate on standard business hours — typically Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM, with reduced Saturday hours at some clinics. Public holidays (Japan has 16 official holidays plus New Year closure periods in some cities) close most standard facilities entirely.
For non-life-threatening conditions that cannot wait until regular hours, Japan has a structured system of after-hours care that is operated primarily at the municipal and prefectural level.
The duty rotation system
Most municipalities coordinate a roster of local clinics and hospitals that take turns providing after-hours acute care on a rotating basis (輪番制, rinban-sei). The designated facility changes each night and each holiday. This prevents any single clinic from bearing the entire out-of-hours burden while ensuring coverage is always available somewhere in the municipality.
To find which clinic is on duty tonight or this holiday, call the municipal 7119 consultation line (in covered areas), check your municipal office’s health pages, or call the municipal switchboard.
Holiday emergency clinics
Many municipalities operate dedicated holiday and weekend emergency clinics (休日急病診療所, kyūjitsu kyūbyō shinryōjo) — separate facilities staffed specifically for out-of-hours acute care. These are not full emergency departments but handle a wide range of urgent, non-life-threatening conditions: high fever, significant pain, infections, wounds that need suturing, and similar presentations.
Holiday emergency clinics are listed on municipal websites, often under 急病相談 (kyūbyō sōdan) or 休日医療 (kyūjitsu iryō) sections. Hours are typically 9 AM–5 PM on designated holidays and weekends; coverage on weekday evenings varies.
The #7119 consultation line
The 救急安心センター (#7119) is a non-emergency medical consultation line operating in major cities. Call it when you are unsure whether your situation requires an ambulance (119) or can be handled at an after-hours clinic. Nurses and physicians on the line assess your symptoms by phone and direct you to the appropriate level of care.
Availability of #7119 and its multilingual capacity varies by prefecture. In Tokyo, the line operates 24 hours. In Osaka, Yokohama, and other major cities it also exists but hours and language support differ. Check availability for your specific municipality.
Hospital emergency departments
Hospitals with emergency departments are open 24 hours and will see acute cases even after hours. For conditions that are serious but may not warrant a 119 call — a high fever in an adult that has not responded to OTC treatment, a wound requiring assessment, severe pain — going to the nearest hospital emergency department is always an option.
Note that hospital emergency departments on evenings and weekends may be staffed by on-call physicians (当直医, tōchoku-i) who are covering broad specialties, not your regular specialist. For non-critical conditions, an after-hours clinic is often a faster and less disruptive option than the hospital ED.
After-hours pharmacies
After your after-hours clinic visit, you may receive a prescription. Many municipalities maintain a list of after-hours pharmacies (24時間薬局 or 夜間対応薬局) that fill prescriptions outside normal hours. Large hospital pharmacies typically operate with extended hours for inpatients and may fill outpatient prescriptions for patients seen in their emergency department.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Key terms
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| After-hours clinic | 夜間・休日診療所 | yakan/kyūjitsu shinryōjo |
| Holiday emergency clinic | 休日急病診療所 | kyūjitsu kyūbyō shinryōjo |
| Emergency consultation center | 救急安心センター | kyūkyū anshin sentā |
| Public holiday | 祝日 | shukujitsu |
| On-call physician | 当直医 | tōchoku-i |
| 24-hour pharmacy | 24時間薬局 | nijūyojikan yakkyoku |
| Urgent care (non-emergency) | 急患 | kyūkan |
| Prefecture duty system | 輪番制 | rinban-sei |
Common questions
- How do I find an after-hours clinic near me?
- The #7119 non-emergency consultation line can tell you what after-hours facilities are available in your area. Your municipal office website typically lists the after-hours clinic (夜間・休日診療所) for the area under public health information. Searching '[city name] 夜間診療' (yakan shinryō) online is also effective.
- Are holiday clinics covered by health insurance?
- Yes. Holiday emergency clinics and after-hours clinics that operate within the public health system bill at the standard national fee schedule. You pay your standard 30% copayment. There may be an additional consultation fee for after-hours visits.
- What is the duty rotation system (rinban-sei)?
- Most municipalities operate a rotation system (輪番制, rinban-sei) where local clinics and hospitals take turns serving as the designated after-hours acute care provider for a given night or holiday. The clinic on duty changes. Your municipal office or the #7119 line will tell you which clinic is on duty on any given day.
- What should I do if I am not sure whether my condition is a true emergency?
- Call #7119 (救急安心センター). A nurse or physician will help you assess whether to call 119, go to an emergency department, or wait for an after-hours clinic. This service exists specifically to guide this decision and is available in multiple languages in major urban areas.
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026