Japan Travel Safety Kit · Guides

How do I reach my family after an earthquake in Japan?

After a large earthquake, calls fail first; text and data usually recover sooner. Send one short message to one person at home who relays it. Japan has a voice message board, Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171, switched on during disasters and keyed to a phone number in the affected area, and carriers open a free public Wi-Fi network called 00000JAPAN during major disasters. It is not encrypted, so keep it to safety messages.

The one-message plan

  1. One short message, not many calls, to one person who tells everyone else.
  2. Agree the wording before you fly: "Safe, at hotel, will update at 20:00 JST".
  3. Keep the phone alive: a power bank in your day bag.

171

NTT's 171 is a voice message board that is provided when a disaster such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption occurs. Dial 171, press 1 to record or 2 to play back, then the phone number of the person in the affected area starting with the area code. As a traveler, use the number of the phone you carry in Japan and give it to your family in advance. The step-by-step sequence is in the manual.

00000JAPAN

When a large disaster hits, Japanese carriers open their public Wi-Fi under one network name, 00000JAPAN (five zeros), for anyone. The council that runs it states it is not encrypted (通信の暗号化等セキュリティへの対応は行っていません) and asks users to keep it to emergency safety confirmation and information gathering.

In the app

Japan Disaster Guide can send one link that lets family see your status and location in a browser, no app or account needed on their side. This live safety link is part of the app's one-time Traveler Unlock (¥300 / $1.99); alerts, shelters and guides are free.

The live warnings, in your language

Japan Disaster Guide is a free iPhone app that delivers JMA warnings for the places you save, after JMA confirms them, in 7 languages, with 115,000+ evacuation sites on a map.

Free on the App Store See the Japan Travel Safety Kit

The full procedures, the 119 script, shelter life, the 171 steps, 21 pointing cards and the worksheets are in the Japan Travel Safety Manual, a 66-page PDF made to read on a phone.

Get the manual ($9.99 PDF)
Sources (read 2026-09-09; quotations are verbatim)
  1. NTT East, Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171) (English). https://www.ntt-east.co.jp/en/saigai/voice171/
  2. Wireless LAN Business Promotion Council, 災害用統一SSID 00000JAPAN (Japanese). https://www.wlan-business.org/00000japan

Japan Disaster Guide is an independent app. It is not affiliated with the Japan Meteorological Agency or any government body. In an emergency, follow the instructions of local officials.

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