Is Adderall Legal in Japan? Amphetamine Rules and What Travellers Can Do

Is Adderall legal in Japan? Why amphetamine is a stimulant

Adderall is a mixed amphetamine salts product, so its active ingredient is amphetamine アンフェタミン. The Narcotics Control Department (NCD) lists amphetamine and methamphetamine as substances that no individual traveller can import or export, even if the medicine is prescribed in your own country. Its FAQ names Adderall directly: amphetamine is controlled as a stimulant 覚醒剤 under the Stimulants Control Act and cannot be imported into Japan, even for treatment purposes.

The NCD's Japanese guidance says the same: stimulants (amphetamine and methamphetamine) cannot be carried into or out of Japan by anyone. MHLW's personal-import page also states that importing stimulants is prohibited under the Stimulants Control Act.

Check the ingredient, not the brand name

Japan classifies a medicine by its active ingredient. Therefore, two medicines used for the same diagnosis can fall into very different border categories. The NCD's controlled-substances list (PDF) marks amphetamine, with dexamphetamine and levamfetamine in brackets, as a substance no person may import or export, and notes that all salts of listed substances are also controlled.

Our overview of controlled medicines in Japan explains each category. Other ADHD medicines, such as atomoxetine and guanfacine, are outside the scope of this article and need their own check.

Posting it or asking someone else to carry it does not work

People sometimes look for a workaround when they cannot carry a medicine themselves. The NCD guidance closes both routes: you cannot send your medicine to or from Japan and cannot entrust carrying it to other people, such as your family. MHLW's Q&A for people importing medicines (PDF) adds that narcotics, psychotropics and stimulants' raw materials cannot be sent to Japan from overseas.

For amphetamine, there is no permitted route at all, so neither posting, a courier nor a friend's suitcase makes Adderall allowed.

What to do if Adderall can't come in

If you take Adderall, the safest approach is to plan around the rule before you pack. Work through these steps in order.

1. Read the ingredient on your label. If it says amphetamine, dextroamphetamine or mixed amphetamine salts, treat it as covered by the ban, whatever the brand name or release type.
2. Do not pack it, post it or give it to someone else to carry. None of these routes is allowed for amphetamine.
3. Talk to your prescriber well before you travel. Ask how your treatment will be managed while you are in Japan. Do not stop or change your medicine on your own because of travel paperwork.
4. If your prescriber considers an alternative, check its category. Methylphenidate follows the psychotropic rules in our Concerta guide. Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) needs the advance permission described below.
5. For a longer stay, plan for a Japanese doctor. A doctor in Japan decides what to prescribe and is not obliged to match your current regimen. Bring an English letter from your prescriber with your diagnosis, the active ingredient, the dose and how long you have taken it.
6. Check your exact situation with the authorities if you are unsure. The NCD publishes contact details for its regional offices on its application guidance page.

Our guide to finding an English-speaking doctor or clinic in Japan can help with the last stage, and an interpreter can attend the appointment if the clinic works in Japanese.

If your prescriber moves you to Vyvanse: the advance permission process

Lisdexamfetamine is a stimulants' raw material. According to the NCD, it can be imported with advance permission. The published process for carrying it is as follows:

• Apply at least 14 days before you travel, and allow two weeks for processing
• A doctor certificate with your name, address, the specific reason you take the medicine, and the medicine name, strength, directions and dose, issued within three months
• Photos of the package, or related documents, and the application form
• You carry the medicine yourself, and show both the Japanese permission letter and the English certificate at customs

The details are in the NCD's English application guidance and its Japanese guide for stimulants' raw materials (PDF). The NCD notes that permission applies only when you enter or leave Japan and does not guarantee that you can take the medicine into another country.

What happens if someone brings Adderall anyway?

MHLW states that importing stimulants is prohibited under the Stimulants Control Act, and the NCD says that penalties are imposed when the laws are violated. We have not found official guidance that sets out what happens to a traveller with a valid prescription, and we cannot predict an individual outcome. The reliable position is that the rule contains no exception for prescribed medicine.