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.

 

 

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.