Bringing Medicine to Japan

What medicine is legal and what is not varies from country to country. Some of the big ticket items that are illegal in Japan are many over-the-counter cold or allegery medicines that contain pseudoephedrine. Please be careful with what you bring with you, and use your best judgement. Some people have had no trouble bringing in certain medicines but FuJET does not, in any way, endorse bringing illegal medicine into the country.

Illegal Medicine
This list was provided from the Consolate General of Japan at Chicago 's website. Some of these brands are American-specific as a result. The illegal ingredient in these medicines is pseudoephedrine.
 * Tylenol Cold
 * Nyquil
 * Nyquil Liquicaps
 * Actifed
 * Sudafed
 * Advil Cold & Sinus
 * Dristan Cold ("No Drowsiness")
 * Dristan Sinus
 * Drixoral Sinus
 * Vicks Inhaler
 * Lomotil

Prescription Drugs
You are allowed to bring a one-month supply of prescription drugs (this includes birth control pills). If you want to bring more than the allowable amount, you have to obtain a Yakkan Shomei certificate from your nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate. Your other options are to bring a presription from a doctor from back home and take it to a doctor in Japan, who can provide you with a prescription for the Japanese equivalent, or you can have someone from back home ship you a one-month supply each month.

Non-Prescription Drugs
You are allowed to bring a two-month supply of non-prescription medication, as long as it is legal in Japan.

There have been recent legal changes which now allows Amazon.jp to carry foreign non-prescription medicines. Such medicines include:


 * Clariten RediTabs - クラリチン レディタブ


 * Benadryl Allergy - ベナドリル アレルギー


 * Advil – アドビル


 * Advil Migraine - 偏頭痛にアドビル


 * Tylenol - タイレノール


 * Bayer Low Dose Aspirin - 低用量アスピリン


 * Low Dose “Baby” Vicks Nyquil Cold&Flu – ぐっすり夜用


 * Feminine Hygiene Products


 * Berocca

You can browse a long list of overseas medicines and other products by searching for this term; 海外直送品 – kaigai choku souhin.