Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan

To import medicines from overseas is subject to control by Pharmaceutical Affairs Law and Customs Law to prevent health hazard caused by defective products.


Therefore, when you enter into Japan, procedures should be done depending on your bringing medicines even if you have medicines for personal use.

1. Drugs, Quasi drugs

You can bring your personal medicines into Japan once certain procedures are completed. This is because there are patients who need continuous medication and travelers who need medicines as belongings, however, when you bring narcotics and psychotropic described in 4, please note that importing them from overseas are subject to control by another Laws and Rules.


To be more specific, when you bring your personal medicines into Japan, you have to apply for so called “Yakkan Shoumei”, a kind of import certificate, and receive it before you leave home, and declare it to the officer in customs.


When you bring your personal medicines into Japan up to the amount described below, you do not have to apply for “Yakkan Shoumei”, instead the officers in customs check the amount of your bringing medicines, and then you can bring your personal medicines into Japan.


◆　Poison, Deadly poison, Prescription drug : Up to 1 month’s supply
◆　Drug for external use (excluding Poison, Deadly poison, Prescription drug) : Up to 24 per one item
◆　Other Drugs, Quasi drugs : Up to 2 month’s supply
※ 　You have to apply for “Yakkan Shoumei” even if you bring one injectable drug or syringe.


Regardless of the description above, you cannot bring prohibited drugs and controlled drugs into Japan.


Details about application for “Yakkan Shoumei” are below.
WORD(117KB)　PDF(124KB)

2. Cosmetics

Basically, the procedures are the same as in the case of drugs and quasi drugs.


When you bring your personal medicines into Japan up to the amount described below, you do not have to apply for “Yakkan Shoumei”, instead the officers in customs check the amount of your bringing medicines, and then you can bring your personal medicines into Japan.


◆　Up to 24 per one item
　　(e.g. If you want to bring your lip stick into Japan , you can have up to 24 regardless of brand, color)

3. Medical devices

Basically, the procedures are the same as in the case of drugs and quasi drugs.


When you bring your personal medicines into Japan up to the amount described below, you do not have to apply for “Yakkan Shoumei”, instead the officers in customs check the amount of your bringing medicines, and then you can bring your personal medicines into Japan.


◆　Medical device for household use (e.g. electric massaging tools): 1 set
◆　Disposable contact lens: Up to 2 month’s supply

4. Narcotics, Psychotropics

It is strictly prohibited to import narcotics and psychotropics into Japan except in the case of prescribed narcotics and psychotropics for a specific patient bringing them with permission described in (2) before entrance into Japan.


When you bring your prescribed narcotics and psychotropics into Japan, you have to apply for permission by the Japanese Government (the directors of the Regional Bureaus of Health and Welfare) and receive it before you leave home.


When you bring certain amount of psychotropics and injectable drug into Japan, you have to have a copy of prescription or other relating documents which certify they are for your treatment.


Regardless of the description above, you cannot bring prohibited or controlled narcotics, psychotropics into Japan.


Details about application for import of narcotics and psychotropics are below.
　　　http://www.nco.go.jp/shinsei5.html

(Contact for further information)

Contact for Drugs, Quasi drugs, Cosmetics and Medical devices

Contact for Narcotics and Psychotropics

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