Is there a national directory of English-speaking doctors in Japan?

JNTO maintains a search tool for hospitals with international patient support. Tokyo's Metropolitan Government publishes a list of hospitals with foreign language support in English, Chinese, Korean, and other languages. Prefectural websites for Osaka, Kanagawa, and other major regions maintain similar directories, often under their public health or health promotion sections.

What if there is no English-speaking doctor available in my area?

Medical interpreter services — either phone-based or in-person — are an alternative when no English-speaking physician is available. Some municipalities operate free telephone medical interpretation services for foreign residents. The medical interpreting services guide covers this in detail.

Can I bring my own interpreter to a medical appointment?

Yes, in most cases. Bringing a bilingual friend or family member is common and generally accepted. For complex medical situations, a trained medical interpreter is preferable to minimize translation errors on clinical terminology.

Do I need to pay extra for an international patient center?

Using an international patient center at a hospital does not itself incur additional fees beyond the standard copayment. However, if the hospital requires a referral letter and you arrive without one, the standard no-referral surcharge applies regardless of language arrangements.

Getting Care

Finding English-Speaking Doctors in Japan

How to locate English-speaking physicians and clinics in Japan — official directories, hospital international desks, and what to expect from the search.

Who this is for

Foreign residents and visitors in Japan who need medical care in English or another non-Japanese language.

Why finding an English-speaking doctor takes planning

Japan has a large number of highly skilled physicians but a relatively small proportion who are clinically fluent in English. Most standard clinics and community hospitals conduct consultations in Japanese. In metropolitan areas — particularly Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, and the major cities in Kyushu — there are enough English-capable physicians to make finding one feasible with preparation. In rural prefectures, options narrow considerably.

Planning before you have an acute medical need — identifying a clinic or hospital with English support in your area, and knowing whether your local municipality offers phone interpretation — avoids the situation of searching at the worst moment.

Official directories

JNTO hospital directory. Japan National Tourism Organization maintains a database of hospitals and clinics that have registered as providing international patient services. Facilities in the directory have indicated they have English-speaking staff or access to interpretation. The directory can be filtered by region, language, and specialty.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Tokyo publishes a detailed list of hospitals providing foreign language support under the metropolitan health portal. The list covers English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and other languages. Many other prefectures maintain similar lists — search the prefectural government website plus “外国語対応病院” (gaikokugo taiō byōin).

Embassy lists. Several foreign embassies in Japan maintain lists of physicians who speak their country’s language, compiled informally from community submissions. These are unofficial and not quality-verified but can be a useful starting point.

International patient centers

A number of large hospitals in Japan have dedicated international patient centers (国際患者センター, kokusai kanja sentā) or international divisions staffed with coordinators who can arrange appointments, explain procedures, assist with insurance documentation, and connect you with bilingual physicians or interpreters.

Large university hospitals and major private hospitals in Tokyo — including St. Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo Midtown Medical Center, and the international patient departments at several national university hospitals — are well known for English-language capacity. Reservation through the international department typically requires advance booking, which can be made by phone or email.

Finding community clinics with English support

For primary care needs — a general physician you can visit repeatedly for ongoing health management — searching specifically for clinics is more practical than using hospital international departments for routine care.

Search strategies that work include:

Expat community forums and social media groups for your city (these produce regularly-updated recommendations from lived experience)
The JNTO directory filtered to clinics rather than hospitals
Google Maps searches with terms like “English doctor [city name]” or “外国語対応クリニック [地名]”
Asking your employer’s HR department — companies that employ foreign workers often maintain a list of nearby English-capable clinics for their staff

Telephone interpretation during a visit

When an English-speaking physician is not available, telephone or video interpretation services can bridge the language gap in real time during a consultation. The interpreter joins the conversation by phone with the physician present in the room. Some municipalities fund free telephone medical interpretation for foreign residents; the medical interpreting services guide covers how to find and arrange these services.

Last reviewed: September 2026

Key terms

English	Japanese	Romaji
International patient center	国際患者センター	kokusai kanja sentā
Foreign language support	外国語対応	gaikokugo taiō
Outpatient appointment	外来予約	gairai yoyaku
Medical interpreter	医療通訳	iryō tsūyaku
General practitioner	総合診療科	sōgō shinryōka
Primary care	プライマリーケア	puraimarii kea
Phone interpreter	電話通訳	denwa tsūyaku
Tokyo Metropolitan Government	東京都	Tōkyō-to

Common questions

Is there a national directory of English-speaking doctors in Japan?: JNTO maintains a search tool for hospitals with international patient support. Tokyo's Metropolitan Government publishes a list of hospitals with foreign language support in English, Chinese, Korean, and other languages. Prefectural websites for Osaka, Kanagawa, and other major regions maintain similar directories, often under their public health or health promotion sections.
What if there is no English-speaking doctor available in my area?: Medical interpreter services — either phone-based or in-person — are an alternative when no English-speaking physician is available. Some municipalities operate free telephone medical interpretation services for foreign residents. The medical interpreting services guide covers this in detail.
Can I bring my own interpreter to a medical appointment?: Yes, in most cases. Bringing a bilingual friend or family member is common and generally accepted. For complex medical situations, a trained medical interpreter is preferable to minimize translation errors on clinical terminology.
Do I need to pay extra for an international patient center?: Using an international patient center at a hospital does not itself incur additional fees beyond the standard copayment. However, if the hospital requires a referral letter and you arrive without one, the standard no-referral surcharge applies regardless of language arrangements.

Sources