Bringing Medications into Japan

Importing medication into Japan is subject to control by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law and the Customs Law, and regulated by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

When you bring medication into Japan for personal use, depending the type and amount of the medication, you may have to apply for a Yakkan Shoumei. Yakkan Shoumei is a kind of import certificate that you must apply for and receive before you leave for Japan. This certificate must be declared to the officer at customs when you arrive in Japan. Applications for the Yakkan Shoumei should be submitted to the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare closest to your airport of arrival in Japan. (Please see below for more details)

If your medication is classified as a narcotic by Japan, then you are required to obtain advanced permission from the Narcotics Control Department at the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare closest to your airport of arrival in Japan.

For general information and guidelines, please refer to the following link: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
For details regarding the application for Yakkan Shoumei, including the application forms, please refer to the following link: “Q&A for those who are bringing medicines into Japan”
For details regarding the application for the import of narcotics and psychotropics, including the application forms, please refer to the following link: "Import / Export Narcotics or other controlled substances by carrying"

If there are any inquiries about the import of a medication into Japan, the Embassy of Japan in DC can provide further information and guidance. However, the Embassy of Japan must adhere to Japan's regulations and does not have the authority to permit medications into the country.

Please be advised that you should apply for the Yakkan Shoumei at least two weeks in advance of your travel date to Japan.

Contact Details for Further Information

Contact for Drugs, Quasi Drugs, Cosmetics and Medical Devices

Name of Department	Contact Information	Place of Arrival
Kanto-Shin’etsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare	TEL: +81-48-740-0800 EMAIL: yakkan@mhlw.go.jp	Narita International Airport Tokyo International Airport
Kinki Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare	TEL: +81-6-6942-4096 EMAIL: kiyakuji@mhlw.go.jp	Chubu Centrair International Airport Kansai International Airport
Okinawa Narcotics Control Office, Kyushu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare	TEL: +81-98-853-7100 EMAIL: okinawa-yakuji@mhlw.go.jp	Naha Airport

List of Narcotics Control Department (NCD), Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare

Name of Narcotics Control Department (Telephone, Fax, Email and Location)	Area in Charge (Name of Prefecture)
Hokkaido Office +81-11-726-3131 (tel) +81-11-709-8063 (fax) sapporoncd@mhlw.go.jp 〒060-0808 1-1, Nishi 2-chome, Kita 8-jo,Kita-ku, Sapporo-shi	Hokkaido
Tohoku Office +81-22-221-3701 (tel) +81-22-221-3713 (fax) sendaincd@mhlw.go.jp 〒980-0014 3-2-23, Hon-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi	Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima
Kanto-Shin'etsu Office +81-3-3512-8691 (tel) +81-3-3512-8689 (fax) tokyoncd@mhlw.go.jp 〒102-8309 1-2-1-17F, Kudanminami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo	Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Niigata
Tokai Hokuriku Office +81-52-951-6911 (tel) +81-52-951-6876 (fax) nagoyancd@mhlw.go.jp 〒460-0001 2-5-1,Sannomaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi	Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Gifu, Toyama, Ishikawa
Kinki Office +81-6-6949-6336 (tel) +81-6-6949-6339 (fax) osakancd@mhlw.go.jp 〒540-0008 4-1-76, Otemae, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi	Fukui, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama
Chugoku-Shikoku Office +81-82-227-9011 (tel) +81-82-227-9174 (fax) hiroshimancd@mhlw.go.jp 〒730-0012 6-30, Kami-Hacchobori, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi	Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
Shikoku Office +81-87-811-8910 (tel) +81-87-823-8810 (fax) takamatsuncd@mhlw.go.jp 〒760-0019 3-33-4F, Sunport, Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa	Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kouchi
Kyushu Office +81-92-472-2331 (tel) +81-92-472-2336 (fax) fukuokancd@mhlw.go.jp 〒812-0013 2-10-7, Hakataeki-Higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi	Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa

Your application should be submitted to the Narcotics Control Department mentioned above.