Bringing Prescription Medication to Japan: What's Allowed

Bringing prescription medication to Japan is legal, and most travelers need no paperwork. A 1-month supply of prescription medicine, or a 2-month supply of OTC medicine, quasi-drugs, or vitamins, goes straight in your carry-on with a prescription copy and doctor's letter. Exceed those amounts, or carry a restricted category — insulin, benzodiazepines above threshold — and you need MHLW's import certificate first. A short list, led by Adderall, is banned outright, no exception.

MHLW's personal-import allowances are generous for anyone on ordinary maintenance medication:

Most maintenance prescriptions — blood pressure medication, birth control, antidepressants — fall under this plain rule. (Japan markets fewer antidepressants than many countries; see bringing antidepressants to Japan if that's what you carry.) Limits apply per traveler and per medication — carry the paperwork anyway, since customs can ask.

Exceed the plain allowances, or carry a restricted category, and you need the Yunyu Kakunin-sho 輸入確認書 — still commonly called Yakkan Shoumei 薬監証明 — issued by MHLW. That covers over a 1-month prescription supply, over a 2-month OTC/quasi-drug/vitamin supply, an injectable beyond the limits above (insulin, an EpiPen, CPAP supplies), or a psychotropic above its threshold.

Common psychotropics — sleep aids, anti-anxiety medication, ADHD drugs like Ritalin — get their own total-amount threshold below which no certificate applies at all, if not injectable. Alprazolam (Xanax), for example, has a 72 mg threshold under the NCD's official list. Third-party sites often quote wrong figures — see bringing Xanax to Japan for the real ones.

Apply at least 14 days ahead through MHLW's online application portal, the default route since 1 July 2025. Processing typically runs 2-3 business days once complete, but build in slack around Golden Week, Obon, and New Year. At the airport, keep the medication in hand luggage with the certificate. Full walkthrough: our Yakkan Shoumei import certificate guide.

A narrower group skips the certificate desk entirely for the Narcotics Control Department (NCD) instead: morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, codeine, tapentadol, and lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse). Permission is required regardless of quantity — no threshold exempts it — and you must carry the medication yourself; mail or third-party import is prohibited. You'll need a medical certificate issued within 3 months stating your reason, a drug list with doses, and packaging photos, applied at least 14 days ahead. Tramadol is not classified as a narcotic here.

Manage ADHD with Adderall? See a doctor here about alternatives like methylphenidate (Concerta), in short supply since autumn 2025 per The Japan Times.