Japan

Is Japan safe to visit?

Yes, and for most travellers it is safer than home. Japan had 0.23 homicides per 100,000Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2023 (UNODC), ranks 10th of 163 countries on the 2026 Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary, and the US State Department keeps it at Level 1, its lowest. Lost wallets are often handed in to a police box (koban) with the cash still inside.

The catch is the ground and the weather. Japan sits on four tectonic plates, takes several typhoons a year and has some of the hottest, most humid summers in Asia. We score it 92, just behind Singapore.

Earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons

Japan has a felt earthquake most days. The large ones are rare but deadly: the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami left about 18,500 people dead or missing, and the magnitude 7.5 Noto Peninsula earthquake on 1 January 2024 killed more than 200 people directly. In August 2024 the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its first "megaquake advisory" for the Nankai Trough, the fault off the Pacific coast from Shizuoka to Kyushu.

What sets Japan apart is preparation. Buildings follow strict seismic codes, bullet trains stop automatically when sensors detect a quake, and phones receive early warnings seconds before the shaking arrives. The practical risk for a visitor is mostly disruption: cancelled trains, closed airports and a night in an evacuation centre.

Typhoon season runs from June to December and peaks from July to September, with Okinawa and Kyushu hit most often. Heavy rain also triggers floods and landslides in mountain areas such as the Kii Peninsula and around Hiroshima.

Heat, health and hospitals

Summer is a bigger threat than most visitors expect. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that July and August regularly pass 35°C with high humidity, and heatstroke sends thousands of people to hospital each summer. The Ministry of the Environment publishes a daily heatstroke alert index by area. On alert days, plan temple visits in Kyoto for early morning and keep the afternoon for museums.

Healthcare is excellent, but the bills are high and hospitals may check your insurance before treating you. Tap water is safe everywhere. Japan's medicine rules catch out many visitors: pseudoephedrine cold remedies, Vicks inhalers and some codeine painkillers are banned, and people have been detained for carrying them.

Bar scams in Tokyo nightlife districts

Theft is so rare that the main crime risk for visitors is self-inflicted. Japanese police have named Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya and Ikebukuro in Tokyo as high-risk zones for drink spiking and credit-card fraud. The usual pattern: an English-speaking street tout (kyakuhiki) offers a cheap drink, the visitor wakes up hours later, and the card has been charged hundreds or thousands of pounds. Most British victims were approached in Kabukicho. Disputes over bills have ended with the tourist, not the bar, being arrested. Our Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto pages cover those cities in more detail.

Bears, mountains and the outdoors

Bear attacks hit a record in fiscal 2025: 238 people injured or killed and 13 deaths, according to preliminary Environment Ministry data reported by Bernama. Most attacks are in the forested north of Honshu and Hokkaido, and bears have started entering towns. If you are hiking in Tohoku or the Japanese Alps in autumn, carry a bell, do not walk alone and check prefecture alerts before setting out.

Mount Fuji now charges climbers an entry fee in the summer season. Altitude sickness and sudden cold catch out people who start the night climb from the fifth station without rest.

How to stay safe in Japan

• Download the Safety Tips app from the Japan Tourism Agency. It pushes earthquake, tsunami, heat and evacuation alerts in English.
• When you check in, find the evacuation route on the back of the hotel room door.
• On the coast, a strong or long quake is your tsunami warning. Climb to higher ground or an upper floor of a marked tsunami evacuation building.
• Carry your passport. Police can ask for it, and failing to show it can lead to arrest.
• Get the 1949 international driving permit before you leave if you plan to rent a car; Japan does not accept the 1968 version, and you cannot buy one there.
• In Shinjuku or Roppongi, choose bars yourself, check the price list, and keep only one card and limited cash on you.

How we scored it

Violent crime (98), road safety (91) and health (92) are near the top of our scale. Natural hazards (76) is the weakest factor because Japan's exposure is extreme, even though its preparation is the best in the world. Compare Switzerland and Iceland, which have similarly low crime but different natural risks.