Bringing Medications into Japan
Importing medication into Japan is subject to control by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law and the Customs Law, and regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
When you bring medication into Japan for personal use, depending on the type and amount of the medication, you may have to apply for a Yunyu Kakunin-sho (previously referred to as the Yakkan Shoumei). Yunyu Kakunin-sho 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 Yunyu Kakunin-sho 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 Yunyu Kakunin-sho, including the application forms, please refer to the following link: Q&A for those who are importing medicines into Japan[529KB]
Please be advised that you should apply for the Yunyu Kakunin-sho 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 |
Narita International Airport |
Kinki Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare |
TEL: +81-6-6942-4096 |
Chubu Centrair International Airport |
Okinawa Narcotics Control Office, Kyushu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare |
TEL: +81-98-853-7100 |
Naha Airport |
List of Narcotics Control Department (NCD), Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare
Name of Narcotics Control Department |
Area in Charge |
---|---|
Hokkaido Office +81-11-726-3131 (tel) |
Hokkaido |
Tohoku Office +81-22-221-3701 (tel) |
Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima |
Kanto-Shin'etsu Office +81-3-3512-8691 (tel) |
Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Niigata |
Tokai Hokuriku Office +81-52-951-6911 (tel) |
Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Gifu, Toyama, Ishikawa |
Kinki Office +81-6-6949-6336 (tel) |
Fukui, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama |
Chugoku-Shikoku Office +81-82-227-9011 (tel) |
Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi |
Shikoku Office +81-87-811-8910 (tel) |
Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kouchi |
Kyushu Office +81-92-472-2331 (tel) |
Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa |
Your application should be submitted to the Narcotics Control Department mentioned above.