Controlled Substances and the Banned-Substance List

Banned medication in Japan covers stimulants, narcotics, psychotropics, and stimulant raw materials that travelers cannot bring in freely, even with a foreign prescription.¹ The split that matters is categorical: some products are prohibited outright, others need advance permission, and ordinary medicines follow quantity allowances instead.¹²

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) site and the Narcotics Control Department (NCD) guidance. This article is general information, not medical or legal advice; for your specific medication, consult a Japan-licensed physician or pharmacist, and confirm import status with MHLW or the Japanese embassy or consulate before travel.

Overview

This article maps which substances Japan bans or restricts and what residents bringing medication from abroad should do before arrival. It follows the NCD category system and the MHLW personal-use import rules, which apply uniformly nationwide regardless of visa status or nationality.¹²

The NCD list uses active-ingredient names, not brand names.¹ Check every product by its active ingredient with the prescribing doctor, since the same brand abroad can mean a different formula in Japan.¹

Which substances Japan bans or restricts

Japan controls import, export, possession, manufacturing, assignment, acquisition, and use of stimulants and stimulant raw materials to prevent health hazards from abuse.³ No person may import or export any stimulants outside the designated channels, and no person may possess them except designated manufacturers, dispensing facilities, researchers, or dispensed recipients.³ Violations fall under the penal provisions of the same Act.³

Stimulants banned outright with no import permit

Adderall cannot be brought into Japan.¹ Its active ingredient amphetamine is controlled as stimulants under the Stimulants Control Act, and NCD states it cannot be imported even for treatment purposes.¹

Do not pack Adderall for Japan under any circumstance

Amphetamine products have no personal-import path, so a foreign prescription, a small quantity, or an honest declaration does not make them legal.¹ Leave the product at home and resolve the treatment question with a Japan-licensed physician before travel.

NCD lists the prohibited substances for individual travelers as heroin, opium powder, methamphetamine and amphetamine (INN: dexamphetamine, levamfetamine), and methaqualone.¹ No individual traveler can import or export medicines including these substances, even when prescribed abroad.¹ Dexedrine falls under the prohibited amphetamine entry through its dexamphetamine INN listing.¹

MHLW confirms that prohibited and controlled drugs cannot be brought in regardless of the general quantity allowances below.² The allowance table does not override a prohibition.²

Narcotics, psychotropics, and stimulant raw materials with restricted import

Medicines in the narcotics or stimulant-raw-material categories need permission before entering or leaving Japan.¹ NCD gives morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, codeine, tapentadol, and GHB as narcotic examples, and notes that tramadol is not a narcotic.¹ It gives lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse, Elvanse) and pseudoephedrine as stimulant-raw-material examples.¹

Vyvanse differs from Adderall in procedure. Lisdexamfetamine is controlled as stimulant raw materials, and NCD states it can be imported with advance permission.¹ That permission is a separate NCD application, not the general 輸入確認書 (yun'yū kakunin-sho, "Import Confirmation") alone.¹

Apply for the narcotics or raw-material permission early

NCD asks travelers to apply at least 14 days before travel (as of 2026-09-07; confirm current timelines with NCD).¹ Tokyo NCD states it cannot accept last-minute applications, so a late start can mean traveling without the medicine.¹

Psychotropics use a threshold system. Listed psychotropics at or below the NCD table amount, excluding injection form, need neither a doctor certificate nor permission under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law.¹ Above the table amount, or in injection form, the traveler needs a doctor certificate identifying the disease, the necessity of the drug, the drug names, and the quantities prescribed.¹

NCD lists methylphenidate, zolpidem, alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, and buprenorphine among the psychotropic examples that follow this route.¹ Travelers importing psychotropics above one month supply are directed to contact MHLW.¹

The medical certificate for the NCD route must include the traveler name, current address, the specific reason for the medicine, the medicine list with doses and strength, the prescribing doctor signature, and an issue date within 3 months.¹ A bare statement such as personal use is not accepted as the reason.¹ Attach photos of the packaging or documents showing the medicine name and strength.¹

Ordinary personal-use medicines follow quantity allowances instead. The table reflects MHLW allowances current at verification (as of 2026-09-07; confirm current figures with MHLW).²

Category	Allowance without Import Confirmation	As of	Notes
Prescription, poison, or deadly-poison drugs	Up to 1 month supply	2026-09-072	Controlled or prohibited ingredients still need their own route
Other drugs and quasi-drugs	Up to 2 months supply	2026-09-072	Same ingredient caveat as above
External-use drugs (excluding the above classes)	Up to 24 per item	2026-09-072	Classification matters per product
Injectable drugs and syringes	Up to 1 month supply	2026-09-072	Only pre-filled syringe or self-injection kit

Above these allowances, the traveler applies for Import Confirmation and receives it before departure, then shows it to the customs officer.² MHLW offers an online Application for Import Confirmation portal for some personal-import procedures.²

What happens at the border

General Import Confirmation must be shown to the customs officer on arrival.² For NCD-permitted narcotics or stimulant raw materials, the traveler shows the IMPORT CERTIFICATE or EXPORT CERTIFICATE to the customs officer instead.¹

Carry controlled medication yourself with the certificate in hand

Controlled medicines cannot be mailed to or from Japan and cannot be entrusted to another person such as family.¹ Japan Customs states that medical narcotics, psychotropic drugs, and stimulant raw materials are barred from ordinary import except when the prescribed individual carries them in person, and mail without an import license cannot be imported or returned to sender.⁴

A foreign prescription does not make a banned drug legal

NCD states that some medicines cannot be imported even when they are prescription medicines in the traveler's country.¹ Adderall is the direct example given: no, even for treatment purposes.¹ MHLW repeats the same boundary for prohibited and controlled drugs against the general allowances.²

What residents can do instead

The legal path runs in ingredient order: identify the active ingredient, match it to the NCD category, then use the matching procedure. The diagram below shows that decision sequence.¹²

Nationwide uniformity helps planning here. These categories sit in national statutes enforced by MHLW and Japan Customs, so ward-office discretion does not change the answer; the confirming office changes only by arrival airport.¹²⁵

Research ingredients and confirm status before arrival

Start from the active ingredient and salt, not the brand.¹ The NCD controlled-substances list names ingredients, and NCD directs travelers who are unsure to check the category with the prescribing doctor.¹

MHLW notes that narcotics and stimulant raw materials sit under other laws and rules beyond the general personal-use procedure.² When the category is unclear, ask the responsible authority before carrying the medicine rather than deciding at the airport.¹²

Arrange in-country care and the import certificate where allowed

For permittable categories, obtain the matching document before departure: the general Import Confirmation through the Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare, or the NCD IMPORT CERTIFICATE for narcotics or stimulant raw materials.²¹ The Embassy of Japan routes Yunyu Kakunin-sho applications to the bureau closest to the arrival airport and advises applying at least two weeks before travel (as of 2026-09-07).⁵

Regional contacts include the Kanto-Shinetsu Bureau for Narita and Haneda and the Kinki Bureau for Kansai, Chubu Centrair, Fukuoka, and Naha (as of 2026-09-07).⁵ MHLW also accepts email inquiries at the bureau addresses and runs the online portal for some procedures.²

For ongoing treatment, discuss the individual medication question with a Japan-licensed physician or pharmacist before arrival.¹ This article does not recommend substitute products; the clinician handles the individual prescription decision once the import status is clear.

Good to know

Check shortage reports against a current source before delaying a move

Secondary sources described difficulty obtaining methylphenidate products and added new-patient restraint during 2026 (as of 2026-09-07).¹ That condition was not confirmed against an MHLW or manufacturer primary source in this pass, so treat any shortage claim as time-sensitive and recheck with a current official or clinical source before changing travel plans.

A prohibited product leaves no permit remedy at the airport

When a product falls in the prohibited list, there is no certificate that legalizes carrying it.¹ The failure mode is arriving with the medicine and discovering the gap at inspection, where the only compliant action is not having packed it.¹ Resolve prohibited-product gaps weeks before departure through the physician and authority-confirmation route above.

Mailed medicine does not bypass the carry rule

International mail containing controlled substances is handled as an import requiring a license, and Japan Customs states such mail cannot be imported or returned to sender without one.⁴ Hotels cannot cure the defect by receiving the parcel, and a family member cannot carry it in the traveler's place.¹ Carry the permitted medicine personally with its certificate.¹

See also

• The Yakkan Shomei Import Certificate
• How Japanese Pharmacies Work
• Finding an English-Speaking Provider
• What to Bring to a Doctor's Visit
• Customs on Inbound Personal Shipments
• OTC vs. Prescription Drugs in Japan

References

Footnotes

1. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Narcotics Control Department. Application Guidance (carrying medicine containing controlled substances). https://www.ncd.mhlw.go.jp/en/application2.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴ ↩³⁵ ↩³⁶ ↩³⁷ ↩³⁸ ↩³⁹ ↩⁴⁰ ↩⁴¹

2. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/iyakuhin/kojinyunyu/topics/tp010401-1_00001.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

3. Japanese Law Translation (Ministry of Justice). Stimulants Control Act, Act No. 252 of 1951. https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/2814/en ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Japan Customs, Tokyo Customs. Narcotics, Psychotropic drugs, Raw materials for Stimulants (international mail notice). https://www.customs.go.jp/tokyo/english/yuubin/mayakuoyobikouseisinyaku.htm ↩ ↩²

5. Embassy of Japan in the United States of America. Bringing Medications into Japan (2026-05-18). https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/bringing-medications-to-japan.html ↩ ↩² ↩³