Can You Bring Valium to Japan? The Diazepam Limit Explained

You can bring Valium to Japan. Diazepam is a psychotropic on Japan's controlled-substance list, and the Narcotics Control Department (NCD) sets a no-certificate threshold for it: 1.2 g total, non-injectable. That's the diazepam japan limit that matters — one of the most generous on the whole psychotropic list. If your diazepam, added up across the trip, comes to 1.2 g or less, pack it in your carry-on and go. Go over that, or bring it as an injectable, and you need an import certificate arranged in advance.

The threshold is a total milligram amount for the whole trip, so you need to multiply your prescribed dose by how many days' supply you're carrying, then compare that to 1.2 g (1,200 mg). Valium is typically prescribed in 2 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg tablets, taken once to a few times a day, so the math varies a lot person to person.

Run your own numbers the same way: daily mg times days you'll carry medication for. If your figure lands at or under 1,200 mg, you're inside the exemption; if it's close, round up rather than down. This also interacts with the general rule that prescription drugs are allowed up to a one-month supply without a certificate — diazepam's generous threshold means most travelers carrying a standard 30-day supply stay well under 1.2 g regardless.

Valium (diazepam) belongs to the benzodiazepine class, and Japan regulates benzodiazepines as psychotropics rather than outright prohibited substances — unlike stimulants such as amphetamine, banned even with a foreign prescription. That distinction is why diazepam gets a milligram threshold instead of a flat no. Thresholds vary a lot within that list: alprazolam (Xanax) sits at just 72 mg — see bringing Xanax to Japan if that's your medication — while clonazepam is 180 mg, lorazepam 90 mg, and triazolam only 15 mg. Diazepam's 1.2 g puts it near the top, well above most other benzodiazepines.

Going over the threshold doesn't mean you can't bring your medication — it means you need a Yunyu Kakunin-sho (輸入確認書), still widely called by its older name Yakkan Shoumei (薬監証明), issued by MHLW. The same certificate is required if your diazepam is injectable in any amount, or your supply runs past a one-month quantity. This isn't a same-week process — apply well ahead. See the Yakkan Shoumei guide for the full application walkthrough, or the psychotropic import limits article for how diazepam compares to other regulated drugs.

If your prescription runs out while you're in Japan, a foreign prescription cannot be refilled here — pharmacists cannot fill a script written outside the country. You'd need to see a doctor locally, and diazepam is excluded from Japan's refill-prescription system, so each renewal means a fresh consultation. The health guide covers the full picture of import rules, moving to Japan helps with longer-term setup, and the finder can help you locate a pharmacy with verified English support.