Reply To: Bringing medication to Japan
Oh, you are right! Sorry, I’ll correct my answer.
It won’t hurt to call the embassy, but the staff may not be able to answer yes/no as they are likely not sure about medications.
The only real danger is that your medication might contain a forbidden substance as part of its compound. This is from the Japanese Embassy in the US:
Heroin, cocaine, MDMA, opium, cannabis (marijuana), stimulant drugs including some prescription medications such as Adderall, and including some medications available over-the-counter in the U.S. are prohibited in Japan. There are no exceptions in bringing these prohibited medications into Japan, even if the medication is legally obtained outside of Japan. The import of stimulant drugs such as methamphetamines and amphetamines in particular are strictly prohibited, even when accompanied by a customs declaration and a copy of the prescription. Japanese customs officials or police can detain travelers importing prohibited items. Japanese customs officials do not make on-the-spot “humanitarian” exceptions for medicines that are prohibited in Japan.
So, you do not want to be surprised to find out your medicine contains something banned.
In addition to calling the embassy I would also contact Kanto-Shin’etsu Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare: yakkan@mhlw.go.jp
Tell them your medication names and ask how to proceed.
