Visiting Japan with Young Children: Medicines, Doctors and Emergencies

Before you fly: medicines and limits when visiting Japan with young children

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) sets how much medicine you can bring for personal use without applying for anything. The limits are counted by the dose on the label or prescription, and they apply to each traveller, including children.

More than this needs an Import Confirmation 輸入確認証, obtained before you leave home. See our guide to the Import Confirmation certificate.

Children's medicines that need extra checks

Insurance for the whole family

Short-term visitors are generally not covered by Japanese public health insurance, so clinics and hospitals bill you directly, often in cash at smaller clinics. Check that your travel insurance covers each child, note the insurer's 24-hour assistance number, and read what a visit costs when you are uninsured.

Documents to carry, translate and keep

Most clinic staff, doctors and pharmacists in Japan work in Japanese. A one-page Japanese summary of your child's medicines and history saves time at the desk and reduces the risk of misunderstanding, especially at night when staff are few.

• Medication list: active ingredient, strength, dose and how often. Brand names differ between countries. See prescription translation for Japan.
• Allergies and past reactions, including food allergies and any adrenaline auto-injector.
• Short medical summary for any long-term condition such as asthma, epilepsy, diabetes or a heart condition.
• Vaccination record. See vaccination record translation.

After any visit, keep every receipt 領収書 and medical document for your travel insurer.

Already carrying a lot of medicine?

Families with a child on several medicines, or staying for weeks, often carry more than the limits allow. Your options are:

1. Check each medicine against the rulesIngredient, strength, form and total quantity decide what applies. Our paid medication assessment checks this against current MHLW and Narcotics Control Department guidance.
2. Apply for Import Confirmation if you are over the limitApply before departure. You apply yourself; we can translate the prescription and supporting letter.
3. Plan local care for long staysBring a translated summary so a Japanese doctor can take over prescribing. See continuing an overseas prescription in Japan.
4. Prepare the arrival paperworkCarry medicines in hand luggage with the prescription. You complete any customs declaration yourself.

If your child's medicine runs out in Japan

A Japanese pharmacy cannot fill an overseas prescription, translated or not. A pharmacist dispenses only against a prescription from a doctor in Japan.

1. Count what is left as soon as you noticeLeave time to book a clinic. Weekends and holidays are harder.
2. See a paediatric clinic 小児科Bring the empty pack, the overseas prescription and a translated medication list. The Japanese doctor decides what to prescribe, which may be a local equivalent.
3. Fill the Japanese prescription quicklyA Japanese prescription is normally valid for four days including the day it is issued.
4. Do not ask family to post controlled medicinesMHLW states psychotropics cannot be sent by post, and other medicines sent by mail follow the same personal-import limits.

For simple fever or pain, Japanese drugstores sell children's products. See buying children's fever and pain medicine in Japan.

How a doctor visit works in Japan

1. Choose the right placeFor most illnesses, start with a local paediatric clinic. Large hospitals usually expect a referral letter for non-emergencies. Many cities run night and holiday emergency clinics 休日夜間急患センター.
2. Call aheadAsk whether they can see a foreign visitor today, what to bring, and whether staff speak English. Our booking guide explains the steps.
3. Register and fill in the questionnaire 問診票Bring passports, insurance details, the translated medication list and cash.
4. ConsultationAn interpreter, in person or by phone, helps when you need to explain history or understand test results.
5. Pay, then go to the pharmacyMost clinics give a prescription 処方箋 that you take to a nearby pharmacy. Keep the receipts and the medicine notes.

For lists of English-friendly care, see our clinic list and foreign-friendly clinics and what to bring to a clinic.

Emergencies: when to call 119 for a child

The national ambulance guide from Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency lists situations where you should call 119 straight away for a child, including:

• Blue or purple lips, or a very poor colour
• Severe breathing difficulty, or weak breathing
• A seizure that does not stop, or does not wake up after it stops
• Unresponsive, confused or unusual behaviour in a baby
• Head injury with heavy bleeding, loss of consciousness or seizure
• Severe vomiting or diarrhoea and unable to drink, or blood in the stool
• Hives over the body after a sting, with colour worsening
• Choking with trouble breathing, severe or large burns, drowning or a fall from a height
• Anything that seems clearly wrong to you as a parent

How families use MedicTranslate: five examples

These are illustrative examples, not case reports. What applies to your family depends on the medicines and your plans.

What MedicTranslate does, and what it does not do

Current prices are on our pricing page, and we confirm the price before work begins.