Can you bring medication to Japan?

• Amphetamine medication

  prohibited

  Amphetamine (the active ingredient of Adderall) and methamphetamine are controlled as 'Stimulants' under Japan's Stimulants Control Act and cannot be brought into Japan, even for treatment and even with a prescription from your own country.

  Talk to your doctor well before travel about an alternative. Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), for example, is a 'stimulants' raw material' that can be brought in with advance permission from the Narcotics Control Department (apply at least 14 days before travel).

  Also covers: adderall, amphetamine, methamphetamine

  Checked 2026-10-02 — Source: Narcotics Control Department, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — bringing narcotics and stimulant raw materials into Japan

• Injectable medication

  allowed, within limits

  Insulin and GLP-1 injectable drugs (semaglutide/Ozempic/Wegovy, tirzepatide/Mounjaro/Zepbound) are prescription drugs under Japan Customs' general framework: up to a 1-month supply is allowed without a Yakkan Shoumei (import confirmation certificate); a larger supply requires obtaining a Yakkan Shoumei in advance. Injector pens, needles and syringes accompanying the medication are treated as personal-use medical equipment for the same trip.

  Japan Customs' 'Private Importation of Drugs, Cosmetics, etc.' FAQ — the same source already used for Japan's general prescription-medication entry — does not separately name insulin, semaglutide/tirzepatide, or syringes/needles/pen injectors; it only gives the general 1-month prescription-drug limit and a separate 'medical equipment' example list (electric massage equipment, low-frequency therapy devices, contact lenses) that does not mention injection devices. No injectable- or device-specific carve-out (e.g. a syringe/needle count cap, or sharps documentation) was found in this pass. For anything beyond routine personal-use quantities, or for questions about needles/syringes specifically, Japan Customs' FAQ directs inquiries to the Regional Bureaus of Health and Welfare (Kanto-Shinetsu: yakkan@mhlw.go.jp; Kinki and west: kiyakuji@mhlw.go.jp).

  Also covers: insulin, ozempic, semaglutide, wegovy, mounjaro, tirzepatide, zepbound, glp-1, needles, syringes, pen injector

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: Japan Customs — Private Importation of Drugs, Cosmetics, etc. (FAQ 1806)

• Prescription medication

  allowed, within limits

  General over-the-counter drugs and quasi-drugs: up to a 2-month supply. Prescription drugs (and poisons/deadly poisons under Japanese law): up to a 1-month supply. External preparations: up to 24 pieces per item. Larger quantities require a Yakkan Shoumei (import confirmation certificate) obtained in advance.

  Narcotics, psychotropics, and stimulant raw materials are governed separately and are far more restricted — see the dedicated 'stimulant medication' entry.

  Also covers: medication, prescription medicine, medicine, otc medicine

  Checked 2026-08-11 — Source: Japan Customs — Private Importation of Drugs, Cosmetics, etc. (FAQ 1806)

• Stimulant medication

  depends on specifics

  Products classified as 'stimulants' raw materials' — including pseudoephedrine (found in many common decongestants) and lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) — require advance permission from Japan's Narcotics Control Department before you travel. Amphetamine and methamphetamine (e.g. Adderall) are different: they cannot be brought in at all.

  Apply at least 14 days before travel; applications typically require a doctor's certificate. Do not simply pack common decongestants like Sudafed or Vicks inhalers without checking first — travelers have been detained for unknowingly carrying pseudoephedrine-based medication into Japan.

  Also covers: pseudoephedrine, sudafed, vicks inhaler, decongestant, vyvanse, lisdexamfetamine, stimulant medication

  Checked 2026-10-02 — Source: Narcotics Control Department, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — bringing narcotics and stimulant raw materials into Japan

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Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history