English stickers on police cars to let tourists know who to call in emergencies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:24 JST, August 27, 2022

Police patrol cars in Kyoto Prefecture will be getting English stickers that indicate what number to call in an emergency.

It is the first such initiative in Japan and comes ahead of the lifting of coronavirus pandemic-related border restrictions, which is expected to lead to an increase in the number of foreign visitors.

The stickers, which include the text “emergency call” and “dial 1-1-0,” will be affixed to 106 cars.

In 2019, before the pandemic, Kyoto Prefectural Police received 411 emergency calls from people who did not speak Japanese.

Because there had been cases where problems were reported at hotels long after they had arisen, the police decided to put information in English on patrol cars, which tourists are likely to see while they are in the city.

“We want to respond to incidents and accidents involving foreign visitors as quickly as possible so that they can stay in Kyoto with peace of mind,” a prefectural police official said.