Check the active ingredient before using Japan's one-month prescription allowance. Some medicines need advance permission even for a short holiday; others cannot be brought in at all. A prescription issued at home does not settle the Japanese import question.
There are two separate checks: the ordinary personal-import rules administered by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), and the rules for controlled substances administered by its Narcotics Control Department. Depending on the medicine and quantity, you may need to address both.
Official guidance checked on 17 October 2026.
Start with a medicine inventory
For every product, write down its generic ingredient, strength, dosage form, prescribed daily dose and total quantity you will carry. Include combination cold remedies and medicines you take only occasionally. A brand name alone can conceal different formulations in different countries.
| Record | Example of the information to collect |
|---|---|
| Ingredient | The generic name printed on the pharmacy label |
| Strength and form | Milligrams per tablet; liquid concentration; injection |
| Directions | The prescribed dose, including any variable schedule |
| Quantity | Tablets, bottles or devices actually packed |
| Travel dates | Arrival airport, arrival date and departure date |
Ask your pharmacist to resolve unclear ingredients. For a legal classification query, send the authority this inventory and a clear packaging photograph; “Can I bring my ADHD medication?” is too imprecise.
Ordinary medicines: when quantity triggers import confirmation
MHLW's personal-import guidance generally allows up to one month's supply of ordinary prescription medicines without an Import Confirmation. The corresponding allowance for ordinary non-prescription medicines is generally two months. These allowances do not override prohibited or controlled-substance rules.
For larger quantities, arrange an Import Confirmation before entering Japan. This process is often called Yunyu Kakunin-sho; older travel discussions may use Yakkan Shoumei.
Quantity depends on the prescribed use. For example, 84 tablets taken twice daily represent 42 days of treatment. Calling the trip a “three-week holiday” does not turn those tablets into a three-week supply. This is an arithmetic illustration, not a classification of any particular medicine.
Do not assume that separate bottles create separate allowances. If you need reserve medication, include that quantity in your enquiry and application.
Controlled medicines need their own decision
The Narcotics Control Department's traveller page distinguishes narcotics, stimulant raw materials, psychotropics and prohibited substances. Do not treat those categories as interchangeable.
Two examples show why ingredient checking matters:
- Amphetamine medicines such as Adderall are prohibited.
- Lisdexamfetamine, sold under brands including Vyvanse, requires advance permission under the stimulant-raw-material rules.
For narcotics and stimulant raw materials requiring permission, the department asks travellers to apply at least 14 days before travel. Contact the office responsible for your arrival airport. If you will take unused medicine out of Japan, address the export permission as well.
Psychotropic medicines have separate substance-and-quantity rules; the department links the relevant table. Avoid borrowing another traveller's answer unless the ingredient, formulation and quantity all match—and check the current official guidance yourself.
If a medicine is prohibited, speak with your prescriber well before departure about your travel plans. Do not stop treatment or substitute another medicine on the strength of a travel article.
Prepare the correct application
For an ordinary Import Confirmation, the MHLW questions and answers explain the supporting prescription or doctor's statement and travel-itinerary requirements. Use the official application portal linked by MHLW.
For a controlled-medicine application, use the forms and submission instructions on the Narcotics Control Department page. Its medical-certificate requirements include a recent, signed certificate with the treatment reason and medicine details. A pharmacy receipt alone should not be assumed sufficient.
Keep a simple application log:
| Item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Route | Import Confirmation, controlled-medicine permission, or both |
| Submitted information | Ingredients, strength, quantity and travel dates |
| Response | Approval, a request for corrections, or an unanswered enquiry |
| Documents to carry | The issued permission and supporting prescription |
| Return journey | Whether unused medicine needs export permission |
A submitted form or automated acknowledgement is not the issued document. Read correction requests promptly, and compare the final approval with what you intend to pack.
Pack for inspection and continuity of care
Keep the medicine identifiable in its labelled packaging, with a copy of the prescription and the issued permissions together. MHLW instructs travellers who need Import Confirmation to show it to Customs. Avoid editing the certificate yourself if your itinerary or quantity changes; ask the issuing office what to do.
For a long move, plan the next prescription before the imported supply runs out. Write down when you need a local appointment, which records the clinician will need, and whether your medicine is available in Japan. Import permission for today's supply does not arrange tomorrow's treatment.
Our Japan healthcare and insurance guide covers the wider distinction between visitor cover and resident healthcare. For the medicine itself, the useful sequence is: identify it, classify it, count it, obtain any required permission, then pack the quantity covered.