Medicine certificate
Before you come to Japan, you need to see and talk with your home doctor if you could bring your medication to Japan. You also need to ask them to write “Medicine certificate” in English, which is different from the prescription.
【Instance of medicine certificate】
If you have chronic diseases, you should always keep medical, treatment and medicine certificate in English while travelling in Japan. Should you go to the clinic/hospital in Japan, those documents can help you tell the doctors about your condition smoothly and get the proper treatment.
Even if you are asked about the medication at immigration gate, you can explain the medication using those documents, so that you can go through some procedure to come to Japan smoothly.
Liquid medication
Especially, regarding the liquid medication, the amount of liquid you can bring to the airplane is limited. Thus, you should ask pharmacists that they pour the liquid medication into the bottle smaller than 100 ml and put the label on the bottle so as to know the name of the liquid medication.
Amount of medication
When you come to Japan, please bring your medication more than usual. Please put your medication into carry-on baggage considering the case that your suite case might be lost.
Additionally, if you want bring powdery medication such as Chinese medication, you might be doubt if you bring some drugs, so you should bring the packed medication with name on it or medication in the box.
Regulation for importing medications to Japan
The following is a regulation of importing the medication announced by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. Please refer to the website of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan (The website is in Japanese.) or the following that I have translated the parts of the regulation into Japanese.
Usually, in the case that people individually import or bring back something from abroad to use for themselves, generally you need to submit the necessary documents to the Regional Bureau Health and Welfare so that you get a proof that this import is not as sales; however, if something you want to bring into are in the following category, you can import specially after you are checked at immigration gate. Of course, importers use them for themselves is premise, thus something imported cannot be soled and given to others. It is not allowed to import something for others either.
●Medicament, Quasi-Drug
Japanese pharmaceutical affairs law regards hair growing tonic, bath salt and health drink etc. such as harmlessness for humans as quasi-drug, but these are dealt as medicament in terms of personal import.
Even if products are sold as food or supplements abroad, food containing medical components and/or including medical effect and efficacy may be applied to medicament in Japan.
●External medication(Excluding poison and powerful medicine)
External medicine should be normal size, 24 medications of within one kind of external medication.
・External medication : medication for skin such as ointment, eye drops.
・Prescription medication: medication needed to be prescribed by doctors because these should be taken effectively and safely.
・Poison, powerful or prescription medication: within one month dosage.
・Medicament, quasi-drug other than above: within two months.
NOTE
Medicament that may cause serious health problems by personal use that do not follow the doctors instruction are not allowed to import by person unless the prescriptions from the doctors are not confirmed regardless of the amount of the medicament.
Other details, please contact below.
●Address of applicant of medicament import report
In terms of import of medicament,quasi-drug, cosmetics, and medical devices, please ask medical investigators of Regional Bureau Health and Welfare.
・ 関東信越厚生局(函館税関、東京税関及び横浜税関)
North and East Japan Regional Bureau Health and Welfare
TEL : 048-740-0800
FAX : 048-601-1336
・ 近畿厚生局(名古屋税関、大阪税関、神戸税関、門司税関及び長崎税関)
South Japan Regional Bureau Health and Welfare
TEL : 06-6942-4096
FAX : 06-6942-2472
・ 九州厚生局沖縄麻薬取締支所(沖縄地区税関)
South Japan Regional Bureau Health and Welfare
TEL : 098-854-2584
FAX : 098-834-8978
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