Bringing medicine into Japan: limits, permits and banned ingredients

Pseudoephedrine is not simply "banned" in Japan, and a one-month supply of an ordinary prescription medicine does not need a certificate. The medicines no traveller may bring even with a prescription are a short list set by the Narcotics Control Department: heroin, opium powder, methamphetamine and amphetamine (including dexamphetamine and levamfetamine), and methaqualone.

Everything else falls into one of four routes: bring it freely within limits, get an Import Confirmation, get a controlled-substance permit, or carry a doctor's certificate. This guide sorts common medicines into those routes using the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省), its Narcotics Control Department and Japan Customs, all read on 23 September 2026, with the Tokyo contacts you need if you land at Narita or Haneda.

The four routes for medicine

The first question is not whether a medicine is prescription-only at home but which Japanese legal category its active ingredient falls into. The Narcotics Control Department says procedure "depends on the category of the controlled substances", divided into narcotics, psychotropics, stimulants, stimulants' raw materials, cannabis and opium, and that "some medicines can't be imported/exported to/from Japan, even if these are prescription medicines in your country".

Most medicines are not controlled substances at all. For those, the ministry's English page sets personal-use limits under which you need no paperwork, and above which you must apply for an Import Confirmation "and receive it before you leave home, and show it to the officer at customs".

The ministry's Q&A in English sums up the default. You can bring general prescription medicine "without any special procedures" if it is for personal use, is not a prohibited drug such as methamphetamine, is not an especially controlled drug such as a narcotic or stimulants' raw material, and is "up to one month supply".

Anything you bring in under these rules is for you alone. Japan Customs says medicines imported privately "cannot be sold or given to other persons", and the ministry's Japanese page adds that personally imported medicines are not covered by Japan's public relief scheme for adverse drug reactions.

Personal limits without paperwork

The limits depend on the type of product, and the ministry measures supply from the dosage on the label. Its June 2025 Japanese Q&A gives the working example: at one tablet a day, one month means up to 30 tablets and two months means up to 60.

The two-month limit is strict. The ministry's Q&A says that for a non-prescription medicine taken once a day, two bottles of 40 tablets, 80 in total, are not allowed without an Import Confirmation, even though each bottle alone is within the limit.

Some everyday products are medicines in Japanese law. Japan Customs says body and hand soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, hair dye and bath preparations fall under quasi-drugs or cosmetics, and that quasi-drugs such as hair-growth agents, bathing agents and tonic drinks are treated like pharmaceuticals when you import them personally.

Injectables have their own rule. The ministry's English page allows up to one month's supply of an injectable drug with its syringes only if they are a "Pre-filled Syringe" or "Self-injection Kit", and the Q&A says syringes brought without the medicine need an Import Confirmation "even if you import 1 piece". Adrenaline auto-injectors for anaphylaxis can be brought without paperwork up to two, including a spare, according to the Japanese Q&A.

Hair-loss treatment is split by strength. The Japanese Q&A says minoxidil products over 5%, classed as a powerful drug, are limited to one month, and those at 5% or less to two months. If the dose cannot be read from the packaging, the same Q&A says you need an Import Confirmation because it is not clear you are within the limit.

Import Confirmation, not Yakkan Shoumei

You may have read that you need a "Yakkan Shoumei" (薬監証明). None of the ministry, Narcotics Control Department or Customs pages read for this guide uses that name; the current document is the Import Confirmation, 輸入確認証 in Japanese, and you need it only when you go over the personal limits or bring certain listed products.

The application is online. The ministry's English Q&A says you apply through its import confirmation system, and that the certificate arrives as a PDF at the email address you registered if there are no problems. Its Japanese Q&A says the online system has been running since 1 February 2023, and that online applications are usually issued in about 2 to 3 business days, compared with 3 to 4 business days after a paper application reaches the regional bureau.

Two documents are required. The Q&A lists a valid prescription or doctor's note naming the patient, the medicine and the doctor for every item, and a document from the airline or cruise line showing your arrival date, arrival airport or port, flight or cruise number and name, such as an itinerary or ticket copy.

Each certificate covers one entry. The Japanese Q&A says the same Import Confirmation cannot be used more than once, and that if you arrive with more than the certificate states, you must discard the excess or apply again. The English Q&A warns that altering the certificate makes it invalid.

Where you land decides which bureau handles it. The ministry's English page sends arrivals at Narita and Tokyo International (Haneda) to the Kanto-Shin'etsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, and arrivals at Kansai, Chubu, Fukuoka and Naha to the Kinki Regional Bureau. Japan Customs frames the same split by customs district: Hakodate, Tokyo and Yokohama for Kanto-Shin'etsu, and Nagoya westwards for Kinki.

Certain ingredients need confirmation at any quantity. The ministry keeps a list of 25 ingredients sold abroad in products advertised for "enhancing cerebral function", including piracetam, atomoxetine, levetiracetam, propranolol and DHEA, which may be imported only in line with a doctor's prescription or instruction. Its English page adds an exception: "it would be permissible for you to bring such a medicinal product into Japan by yourself, in the purpose of self-medication during your stay".

A separate ministry notice lists products in which health-damaging ingredients have been found, which need confirmation regardless of quantity. The February 2025 revision added "ロイヤルハニーVIP（Royal Honey VIP）" to a list that is otherwise largely made up of diet capsules.

Narcotics, stimulants and pseudoephedrine

Controlled substances run on a separate permit system through the Narcotics Control Department (麻薬取締部). Its application page says that when you "enter/leave Japan carrying your medicine containing controlled substances in Japan for your own medical use, you need to get a permission in advance".

Narcotics include several common painkillers. The department lists "Morphine, Fentanyl, Oxycodone, Codeine, Tapentadol, GHB" as examples, and notes that tramadol is not a narcotic. Its Controlled Substances List, dated 12 December 2024, excludes preparations containing 1% or less of codeine or dihydrocodeine, so the strength of a cough or cold product matters.

Stimulants' raw materials are the category that covers some ADHD and decongestant medicines. The department gives "Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse, Elvanse...), Pseudoephedrine..." as examples. Its list classifies ephedrine and pseudoephedrine as stimulants' raw materials but excludes "Any substances containing 10% or less of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine", with the same 10% line for methylephedrine and a 50% line for phenylpropanolamine.

That is the fact behind the pseudoephedrine myth. A pseudoephedrine product above the 10% line is not prohibited; it needs a permit like any stimulants' raw material, and one at or below the line is outside that category. The department's list "does not include brand names", and it tells you to check the category with your prescribing doctor if you are unsure.

Amphetamine is different. The department's FAQ answers "Can I bring ADDERALL ... into Japan?" with "No", because amphetamine is controlled as a stimulant and "cannot be imported into Japan, even for treatment purposes". The same FAQ answers "Yes" for Vyvanse, with advance permission.

The permit application goes by email, fax or post. The department asks for an import application form, an export form if you will leave with leftovers, a medical certificate, and photos of your medicine packages in JPEG, PDF or Word format. The medical certificate must give your name and current address, the specific reason you take the medicine, a list with doses and strength, and your doctor's signature, and must be issued within three months; "for personal use" or "for travel" is not accepted as a reason.

Timing is where Tokyo arrivals get caught out. The department says to apply at least 14 days before travel and that "Tokyo NCD, in particular, cannot accept any last-minute applications for any reason". Its extra instructions for Haneda and Narita arrivals ask for a driver's licence or utility bill to verify your address unless it appears on the medical certificate, and a visa, work contract or letter of acceptance if you will stay longer than 90 days.

Leaving Japan with leftovers needs its own permit. The department says that if you will go home with unused medicine you must also submit an export application, or state in your email that you do not need one, and that the reason for departure should read "To return home" or "To go to another country" rather than "For Vacation", which slows processing. If you enter and leave through different airports, the application goes to the office covering your entry airport.

Parents can apply for children. The department asks that the form carry the name of the person who actually takes the medicine, with a note in the margin that a parent or guardian wrote it on their behalf, followed by the guardian's signature.

Public holidays also slow things down. The department's 2026 notice said its offices would close on 29 April and 2 to 6 May for Golden Week and asked anyone arriving between 29 April and 11 May to submit documents by 22 April. When you land, show the import certificate to customs.

Sleeping pills and other psychotropics

Psychotropics such as zolpidem, alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, buprenorphine and methylphenidate need no permit. The Narcotics Control Department lists them under "Psycotropics (no permission required)", but they come with quantity limits of their own.

The limits are set in milligrams or grams of the active ingredient, not in days. The department's table allows, for example, 300 mg of zolpidem, 72 mg of alprazolam, 1.2 g of diazepam, 180 mg of clonazepam, 15 mg of triazolam and 2.16 g of methylphenidate without any doctor's certificate.

To work out whether you are under the line, multiply the strength by the number of tablets. Thirty 10 mg zolpidem tablets come to 300 mg, which is exactly the table amount; sixty 1 mg alprazolam tablets are 60 mg, under the 72 mg line.

Above the table amount, or for any injectable psychotropic, you need paper from your doctor. The department says the certificate must identify your disease, the necessity of the drug, the names and quantities prescribed, your doctor's signature and the date of issue, and that for more than one month's supply you should contact the ministry at the Kanto-Shin'etsu address.

Japan Customs adds that you may bring psychotropics only if you carry them yourself. A copy of the prescription and other documents showing the drugs are particularly necessary for your treatment are required above one month's dosage or for syringes.

Before you pack: a checklist

Everything above reduces to a short list of checks, done in order.

Keep the labels. The ministry's Q&A says that if the dosage cannot be confirmed from the product's labelling, you need an Import Confirmation even for small amounts, because it cannot be shown that you are within the limit.

If you plan to buy medicine in Japan instead of bringing it, the guide to reading a drugstore label explains the words on the packet; check the active ingredient against your own prescriptions before you take anything.

If you are short of time or unsure which category applies, the ministry's English Q&A says to email the pharmaceutical inspector for your arrival airport with the airport name, the product name, the name and amount of each active ingredient, the form of the medicine and how much you are bringing. For Narita and Haneda that is the Kanto-Shin'etsu bureau at yakkan@mhlw.go.jp.

Some products need a prescription whatever the quantity. Japan Customs says medicines likely to cause serious harm without expert advice, giving abortion drugs as the example, cannot be imported personally without proof of a doctor's prescription.

A few items are prohibited regardless of any medical reason. Japan Customs lists isobutyl nitrite ("Rush") as a prohibited designated chemical substance and says animal-based medicines containing rhinoceros horn, tiger bone, musk deer secretion or bear gall bladder are prohibited under the endangered-species convention.

What this guide does not cover

Penalties for bringing in stimulants or other controlled substances are not given here, because the statute texts were not read. Fees are not given either: none of the ministry, Narcotics Control Department or Customs pages read states a fee for an Import Confirmation or a controlled-substance permit.

It does not say whether any particular brand of cold medicine is above the 10% pseudoephedrine line or below the 1% codeine line, because the Narcotics Control Department's list gives no brand names and no official brand-by-brand list was found. It does not cover CBD, cannabis-derived products, veterinary medicines or medicines sent by courier for business.

The ministry's older English page at its "english/policy" address, still linked from the Narcotics Control Department and Customs sites, returned a "page not found" error on 23 September 2026; the rules here come from its current English page at a different address.