Can You Bring Blood Thinners to Japan? Apixaban, Warfarin and Other Anticoagulants

Can you bring blood thinners to Japan without a permit?

Yes. Japan only requires a Narcotics Control Department (NCD) permit for narcotics and stimulant raw materials, and it sets quantity limits for psychotropics. None of the common blood thinners is in any of those groups. They do not appear in the NCD psychotropics table, and the NCD guidance names very different examples (morphine, oxycodone, lisdexamfetamine, zolpidem).

As a result, you can bring blood thinners to Japan under the ordinary personal-use rules that apply to most prescription medicines.

Brand names from PMDA package-insert listings, checked 19 October 2026.

The one-month rule when you bring blood thinners to Japan

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) allows travellers to carry prescription medicines for personal use up to one month’s supply, judged by the dosage on the prescription. Other non-prescription medicines are allowed up to two months.

MHLW counts the contents, not the number of boxes. In addition, splitting a supply across several bags or shipments in the same period still counts toward the same total. If you plan to bring blood thinners to Japan for a long stay, a work posting or study, the Import Confirmation is the normal route.

How the Import Confirmation works

1. Gather the prescriptionMHLW asks for a prescription or doctor’s note showing the patient, the medicine and the doctor’s name.
2. Apply onlineUse MHLW’s Import Confirmation Information System. The confirmation arrives as a PDF by email.
3. Allow a few business daysMHLW says it is normally issued within a few business days, excluding weekends and holidays.
4. Carry it with the medicineShow the confirmation to customs on arrival.

For the full walkthrough, see our guide to the Import Confirmation Certificate (formerly Yakkan Shoumei).

Injections: how to bring blood thinners to Japan in syringes

MHLW provides personal-use exemptions for certain medicines supplied with syringes for self-injection. Confirm whether your specific medicine, formulation, quantity and injection equipment meet the applicable requirements before travelling.

Also worth knowing: in Japan, the approved enoxaparin kit is licensed mainly to prevent clots after hip or knee surgery and some abdominal operations. A Japanese doctor may therefore choose a different medicine if you need injections continued here. That is a clinical decision for the doctor.

Practical tips when you bring blood thinners to Japan

• Keep the original packaging. Customs officers check the label against your documents.
• Carry it in your hand luggage, together with the prescription or doctor’s letter, so a missed day is less likely if bags go astray.
• Use generic names. Brand names differ between countries (Pradaxa overseas is Prazaxa in Japan, for example), so write the ingredient and strength on every document.
• Dabigatran capsules: the Japanese label tells patients to keep them in the blister until use because of moisture. Do not decant them into a pill organiser without asking your pharmacist.
• Warfarin users: carry your most recent INR results. In addition, the Japanese warfarin label warns about natto, a common fermented soybean food in Japan, because of its vitamin K.

Translated documents help both at the border and at a clinic. A prescription translation keeps ingredient names, strengths and daily doses identical across every page.

Running out of your anticoagulant in Japan

In Japan, prescription-only medicines are dispensed against a prescription from a Japanese medical institution, and overseas prescriptions are generally not filled. If you are staying longer or lose your supply, plan to see a Japanese doctor early, because anticoagulants are not something to stop suddenly.

• Bring your current medication list, dose and the reason you take it, ideally in Japanese.
• For warfarin, bring your target INR range and recent results; the doctor may order a blood test.
• Doses can differ by country. Japanese labelled doses can differ from those used in other countries. Only your doctor can decide your dose.

Our guides to continuing an overseas prescription in Japan and lost or expired medication explain the steps.

Common mistakes

• Packing three months of tablets for a long trip without an Import Confirmation.
• Bringing loose syringes or needles for injections without checking first.
• Posting a refill to a hotel or a friend’s address; mail sent anywhere other than your own home may need an Import Confirmation.
• Documents that only show brand names, or show a different strength from the box.
• Assuming a pharmacy in Japan can refill an overseas prescription.