Can you bring your medicines into Japan? What the health ministry says

Up to what amounts is no Import Confirmation needed?

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) says that when you bring medicines for personal use into Japan up to the amounts below, you do not have to apply for an Import Confirmation.¹

The same page says that, regardless of these amounts, you cannot bring prohibited drugs and controlled drugs into Japan.¹

The MHLW's Q&A adds that if you import a syringe only, without the medicine, you need to apply for an Import Confirmation as a medical device, even for a single one.²

What does the ministry say about an Import Confirmation?

Beyond those amounts, the MHLW says you have to apply for an Import Confirmation, receive it before you leave home, and show it to the officer at customs. Its Q&A says to show it if customs asks when you arrive.¹²

1. The MHLW says it is now possible to apply online for some personal import procedures, through the Import Confirmation system linked from its page.¹²
2. The Q&A lists the documents to attach: a valid prescription or doctor's note showing the patient's name, the medicine and the doctor's name, for all medicines or medical devices you apply for; and a document from the airline or cruise company showing your arrival date, arrival airport or port, flight or cruise number and your name, such as an itinerary.²
3. If there are no problems with the application, the certificate is sent as a PDF to your registered email address. The Q&A says it is normally issued in a few business days, not counting weekends and national holidays, if the application form is complete.²
4. The Q&A warns never to correct the certificate, or it becomes invalid.²

For further questions, or if you have little time before you leave home, the Q&A asks you to email a pharmaceutical inspector at the regional bureau for your place of arrival. The MHLW page names the Kanto-Shin'etsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare for arrivals at Narita, Tokyo International (Haneda) and other airports, and the Kinki Regional Bureau for Kansai, Chubu Centrair, Fukuoka, Naha and other airports; the email addresses are on that page.¹²

What if your medicine contains a substance controlled in Japan?

The MHLW's Narcotics Control Department says that when you enter or leave Japan carrying medicine for your own medical use that contains substances controlled in Japan, you need to get permission in advance. The procedure depends on the category: narcotics, psychotropics, stimulants, stimulants' raw materials, cannabis or opium.³

It says you must first check which category your medicine belongs to. Its list of controlled substances does not include brand names, and if you are not sure, it says to check the category with the doctor who prescribed your medicine.³

For psychotropics, the department asks anyone importing more than 1 month supply to contact the email address it gives on its page.³

The MHLW's own page says that permission for prescribed narcotics and stimulants' raw materials comes from the directors of the Regional Bureaus of Health and Welfare and must be received before you leave home, and it refers readers to the Narcotics Control Department's site for details.¹

How does the Narcotics Control Department say to apply?

For narcotics and stimulants' raw materials, the department lists these documents:³

• An import application form for entering Japan, and an export application form if you intend to go home with leftover medicines; if you do not need export permission, it asks you to say so in your email.³
• A medical certificate from the doctor who prescribed your medicine, giving your name, your current address, the specific reason you take the medicine, a list of the medicines with doses and strength, the prescribing doctor's signature, and a date of issue within 3 months. It says a reason such as just "for personal use", "for medical conditions", "for travel" or "for treatment" is not acceptable.³
• Photos of the medicine's package or relevant documents, showing its name and strength.³

Visitors send the documents by email, fax or post to the Narcotics Control Department office in charge of the area where they arrive in Japan; if you arrive and leave through different airports, it asks for the office covering the entry airport.³

The department says you should apply at least 14 days before you travel, and to contact it in case of urgency, adding that contacting it does not necessarily mean your application will be handled. It says its Tokyo office cannot accept any last-minute applications for any reason.³

In the same section it says you must carry the medicine yourself when you enter or leave Japan: you cannot send it, or entrust carrying it to other people such as your family. It asks you to show the import or export certificate to an officer at customs.³

Which substances does it say travellers cannot bring at all?

The Narcotics Control Department says no individual traveller can import or export medicines including the following substances, even if they are prescribed medicines in their own country.³

• Heroin.³
• Opium powder.³
• Methamphetamine and amphetamine (the department lists dexamphetamine and levamfetamine).³
• Methaqualone.³

In its FAQ, the department says amphetamine, the active ingredient of ADDERALL, is controlled as a stimulant and cannot be imported into Japan, even for treatment. It says lisdexamfetamine, the active ingredient of VYVANSE, is controlled as a stimulants' raw material and can be imported or exported with advance permission.³

Where can you check your own medicine?

This page reports the two official pages in brief. Before you travel, check your own medicines against them directly:

• The MHLW's Information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan, and its Q&A on Import Confirmation (PDF).
• The Narcotics Control Department's Application Guidance, which links its list of controlled substances, its psychotropics table and its office contact list.³

This page reports official import rules only. It is not medical advice: do not change or stop a medicine because of it. Check your own medicines with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare or its Narcotics Control Department, and with your doctor.

What this page cannot tell you

• Two official summaries differ. Japan Customs' passenger page gives the MHLW's amounts in short form, with 2 months for pharmaceutical products, while the MHLW page sets 1 month supply for prescription drugs and 2 month supply for other drugs. The MHLW page is the one Japan Customs refers to; check with the MHLW if in doubt.⁴¹
• Examples are not a full list. The Narcotics Control Department's examples end with "...", and its list of controlled substances works by substance, not brand name.
• Rules change. The Narcotics Control Department marks several sections of its page as new; re-check close to travel.
• Posting medicines and staying long-term follow different rules that this page does not cover.

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