Disaster Apps and Multilingual Emergency Info for Foreigners in Japan

Quick answer (30 seconds): Before anything happens, install at least two free apps: Safety tips (Japan's official multilingual alert app, 15 languages, push warnings for earthquakes, tsunami and weather) and one shelter-finder such as Japan Shelter Guide. Phones on Japanese networks already receive J-Alert and Earthquake Early Warning automatically as a loud siren-like alarm, but those are mostly in Japanese, so a multilingual app is your translation layer. Learn one phrase pair now: hinan-basho (an immediate-safety evacuation site, like a park) versus hinanjo (an evacuation shelter where you can stay). In an earthquake: drop, cover, hold on. For a typhoon: prepare days ahead and follow your city's evacuation level.

Why a foreigner in Japan needs this

Japan gets earthquakes, typhoons, floods and the occasional tsunami, and the official warning chain is fast and serious. The catch for non-Japanese speakers is that the loudest, fastest alerts (the phone alarm, the TV takeover, the outdoor loudspeakers) are mostly in Japanese. The fix is simple: layer one or two multilingual apps on top of the alerts your phone already gets, and learn a few words so you understand what an alert is telling you to do.

This guide covers what to install, the alert systems running in the background, the all-important hinanjo vs hinan-basho distinction, and what to actually do in an earthquake or typhoon.

The apps to install (free, before disaster strikes)

Install these now, on Wi-Fi, while you have time, and grant notification permission. In a real event, app stores and networks get congested.

App	Best for	Languages	Notes
Safety tips	Official push alerts	15, incl. English, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Tagalog, Korean, Chinese	Supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency. Earthquake early warnings, tsunami, weather warnings, plus an evacuation flowchart and communication phrase cards. The single most important install.
NHK WORLD-JAPAN	News during a disaster	11 languages / 12 writing systems	Push notifications for earthquakes, tsunami and Japan weather emergency warnings, plus live English news and radio. Turn on the disaster notifications in settings.
Japan Shelter Guide (Zenkoku Hinanjo Guide)	Finding the nearest shelter	English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified and Traditional Chinese	Maps roughly 100,000+ shelters, medical facilities and water-supply points nationwide, with weather, earthquake and tsunami info.
Yahoo Bosai (Yahoo! Bousai Sokuhou)	Fastest local alerts	Japanese interface	Hugely popular with residents for fast, granular push alerts. The UI is Japanese, so pair it with a translation app if you do not read Japanese.
Disaster Preparedness Tokyo	Tokyo residents	English, Chinese, Korean, simple Japanese	Offline preparedness guide, stockpile checklist with expiry tracking, and a preparedness map. Tokyo-focused.

How to choose: if you install only one, make it Safety tips. Add Japan Shelter Guide so you can find the nearest shelter on a map, and NHK WORLD-JAPAN for English news when something big happens. Tokyo residents should add the Disaster Preparedness Tokyo app.

Tip: A note about NHK apps. The multilingual app for foreigners is NHK WORLD-JAPAN. There is a separate Japanese-language domestic app, NHK ONE (which replaced the older NHK news app in 2025); it is excellent but Japanese-only, so reach for NHK WORLD-JAPAN if you want English.

The alert systems running in the background

You do not have to subscribe to these; if you have a phone on a Japanese network, you already get most of them automatically.

Earthquake Early Warning (Kinkyu Jishin Sokuho)

Japan's seismometers detect the fast, weak first wave (the P-wave) of a quake, calculate where the slower, damaging shaking (the S-wave) will hit, and push a warning to phones in the affected area, run by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). You may get anywhere from a few seconds to tens of seconds of warning, sometimes none if you are right on top of the epicenter. It arrives as a distinctive loud chime and an on-screen alert. When you hear it: protect yourself immediately, do not look for your phone first.

J-Alert (National Instant Warning System)

Run by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) and launched in 2007, J-Alert is the satellite-based system that pushes nationwide emergencies (major earthquakes, tsunami, severe weather, missile warnings) to local governments, broadcasters and directly to phones within seconds. It is what takes over your TV with a red full-screen warning and triggers the outdoor loudspeakers in your neighborhood.

What an alert sounds and looks like

• A loud, insistent alarm tone from your phone, even on silent.
• A full-screen message (often Japanese first).
• Outdoor loudspeakers and, on TV, a red banner with a chime.

Because the on-screen text is frequently Japanese, this is exactly why your multilingual app matters: open Safety tips or NHK WORLD-JAPAN to read what the alert means in your language.

hinanjo vs hinan-basho: the distinction that matters most

These two words look similar and are routinely confused, but they mean different things, and going to the wrong one wastes critical time.

Term	What it is	Can you stay?	Example
hinan-basho (designated emergency evacuation site)	A place to flee to immediately to escape the direct danger of a disaster. The right site depends on the hazard (tsunami, fire, flood).	No. Open space for immediate safety only.	A park, a wide plaza, high ground, a sturdy tall building for tsunami
hinanjo (designated evacuation shelter)	A place to stay for hours or days if your home is unsafe or you cannot return.	Yes. Food, water and bedding are typically provided.	A school gym, a community center, a public hall

The rule of thumb: in the first moments of danger you run to a hinan-basho to survive the immediate threat; once the immediate danger passes and you cannot go home, you move to a hinanjo to take shelter. Many locations are designated as both. Look for the standard green-and-white evacuation pictograms on signs.

Important: evacuation shelters in Japan are open to everyone, including tourists and foreign residents. You do not need to be a citizen, and you do not need to speak Japanese to be let in.

Find yours before you need it

Open Japan Shelter Guide today and note the nearest hinan-basho and hinanjo to your home and workplace. Your city or ward office also publishes a free hazard map (hazado mappu) showing flood, landslide and tsunami risk plus designated shelters, often with an English version on the municipal website.

The 5-level evacuation alert system

Since 2021, evacuation information for floods, heavy rain, landslides and storm surge is organized on a 5-level scale, so a number tells you how urgent things are. JMA issues advisories, but the actual evacuation instruction is issued by your municipality.

Level	Meaning	What you do
Level 1	Early warning, latest information	Stay aware, check forecasts
Level 2	Advisory; check your evacuation plan	Confirm your route and shelter
Level 3	Evacuation for the elderly and vulnerable (kourei-sha-to hinan)	Older people, people with disabilities and those needing more time should evacuate now; everyone else prepares
Level 4	Evacuation order (hinan-shiji)	Everyone in the area must evacuate now
Level 5	Emergency safety measures (kinkyu anzen kakuho)	A disaster may already be occurring; it may be too late to move, so take the best possible action where you are

Do not wait for Level 5. Level 4 means leave. Level 5 means the safe window has likely closed, and you protect yourself wherever you are (move to a higher floor, away from windows, to the strongest part of the building).

What to do in an earthquake

1. Drop, cover, hold on. Drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck (get under a sturdy table if you can), and hold on until the shaking stops. Do not run outside mid-shaking, where falling glass and masonry are the biggest danger.
2. Do not rush for the door. Stay away from windows, bookshelves and anything that can topple.
3. When shaking stops, open a door or window for an exit route, turn off gas/flames if it is safe, and put on shoes (broken glass).
4. Check for a tsunami warning if you are near the coast, and move to high ground or a tsunami-evacuation building immediately if one is issued, on foot, not by car.
5. Get information from Safety tips or NHK WORLD-JAPAN, and only evacuate to a shelter if your home is unsafe or instructed.

What to do for a typhoon

Typhoons, unlike earthquakes, come with days of warning, so preparation is everything. Forecasters expect an active season in 2026.

Before (days ahead):

• Stock three days of water and food, a charged power bank, a flashlight and any medication.
• Keep some cash in small bills (power and card readers can fail).
• Bring in or secure anything on your balcony that could blow away.
• Find your nearest hinanjo now and check your hazard map for flood and landslide risk.

During:

• Stay indoors and away from windows; close storm shutters if you have them.
• Follow your municipality's evacuation level; if Level 4 is issued, go to a shelter early, before wind and water make travel dangerous.
• Avoid rivers, the coast and underground passages, which flood fast.

A simple emergency kit

You do not need a survival bunker. A small bag by the door covers most needs:

• Water and a few days of non-perishable food
• Phone power bank and cable, plus a small flashlight
• Copy of your residence card (zairyu card) and passport, and some cash
• Basic first aid and any prescription medication
• A whistle, a mask, and a change of warm clothing

Pre-made emergency kits (bousai kit) are widely sold online and in home stores. TODO_AFFILIATE_VERIFY

Quick checklist

• Install Safety tips and turn on notifications.
• Add Japan Shelter Guide and NHK WORLD-JAPAN; Tokyo residents add Disaster Preparedness Tokyo.
• Locate your nearest hinan-basho and hinanjo, and download your city's hazard map.
• Learn it: Level 4 = evacuate now; earthquake = drop, cover, hold on.
• Keep a small kit and some cash ready.

For more on settling in safely, see the JapanLifeStart essentials guides and our housing and daily life section.

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Sources / last updated: Compiled 2026-06-25 from the Japan Tourism Agency / JNTO Safety tips app pages, NHK WORLD-JAPAN, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) on Earthquake Early Warning and J-Alert, the Cabinet Office bousai materials, Nippon.com, and Tokyo's multilingual disaster portal (TIPS). App language support and availability change, so confirm the current store listing for each app before you rely on it.