Tokyo is safe to visit for foreign travelers, with all three major governments maintaining their standard baseline advisories for Japan. At Safe to Go, we track official travel notices daily, and none of the reporting governments advise against visiting Tokyo or suggest reconsidering travel to the capital.
The primary safety concerns in Tokyo are concentrated in specific entertainment districts at night. Foreign visitors face targeted financial scams, drink spiking, and transit harassment on commuter trains.
What Government Advisories Say About Tokyo
The US State Department tells visitors to Japan to exercise normal precaution and practice standard awareness abroad. Canada similarly instructs travelers to exercise normal security precautions when visiting Japan.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides specific details on Tokyo itself. The UK FCDO warns that entertainment districts in Tokyo carry a higher risk of crime, especially at night in and around clubs and bars. The agency notes that foreign nationals have been targeted in these nightlife areas for robbery, extortion, assault, and sexual assault.
How Tokyo Compares to the National Picture
Tokyo shares the same general advisory rating as the rest of Japan. None of the three governments advises against travel to any part of Japan. Our Is Japan safe? guide covers the rest of the country.
The UK FCDO notes that entertainment districts carry a higher risk of crime across Japan. The agency names Shinjuku Nichome in Tokyo and Doyamacho in Osaka as well-known lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) areas. Smoking is illegal on the streets of Tokyo and some other cities, so smoke only in designated areas.
Nightlife Scams and Drink Spiking in Entertainment Zones
Japanese police have singled out four entertainment districts in Tokyo as high-risk zones for bar scams and crime: Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro. Most British victims report being targeted in Kabukicho, a prominent nightlife hub within Shinjuku.
The UK FCDO reports increased drink spiking and credit card fraud in these nightlife districts. Victims report waking up with memory loss and finding unauthorized charges on their credit cards ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds. Victims say street touts known as kyakuhiki approached them in English.
The UK FCDO lists these steps to reduce the risk and impact of spiking.
- Never follow street touts (kyakuhiki) into any bar or club.
- Do not leave your drinks unattended, and refuse drinks offered by strangers.
- Leave extra credit cards and excess cash locked in your hotel accommodation.
- Secure your finances against fraudulent transactions.
Transit Safety and Harassment on Commuter Trains
Commuter trains carry risks of inappropriate behavior directed at female passengers. The UK FCDO warns that women using commuter rail lines have experienced non-consensual touching and upskirting, which involves taking covert photos or videos from below.
Japanese police advise female passengers who experience harassment on trains to shout at the perpetrator to draw immediate attention. You should ask surrounding passengers to help alert station staff or train conductors right away.
Rape and sexual assault are rare in Japan but can happen. The UK FCDO notes that Japanese criminal law places a high burden of proof on victims to prove non-consensual sexual acts involving force, intimidation, or assault. The UK FCDO Japan advice has a rape and sexual assault section.
Japan’s Drug Laws and North Korean Missile Tests
Japan enforces strict drug laws that can lead to severe legal penalties. If Japanese police find illegal substances in your bloodstream, you may be charged, even if you took the substance unknowingly or without consent. Refusing a police drug test can lead to arrest and detention for obstructing police duties, and medical clinics generally report detected illegal substances to law enforcement.
You cannot buy an IDP outside the UK, so get one before you travel. You can use an IDP for one year, regardless of its expiry date.
North Korea frequently launches missiles towards Japan as part of missile testing, and the UK FCDO says it is likely to continue doing so. Tensions can escalate alongside joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. If a missile alert sounds, follow the advice of local authorities, as the UK FCDO Japan advice recommends.
How to Check Tokyo’s Advisories Before You Fly
The Japanese police have identified Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya, and Ikebukuro as high-risk zones for drink spiking and credit card fraud. Our verdict would change if any of the three governments raised its advice for Japan above normal precautions. Before departing for Tokyo, confirm whether advisories have changed. The live panel above displays today’s level for each government. You can also view recent shifts across all destinations using our tracker for latest advisory changes.
You can review our free travel safety checklist to prepare your personal itinerary, compare risk profiles across other capitals using our tool to compare destinations side by side, and read how we rate safety to see how our editorial framework interprets official statements.